


Cesc's Anatomy

by lovinthelads



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 71,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2550533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovinthelads/pseuds/lovinthelads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My Nano offering this year.  Grey's Anatomy with Cesc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Cesc sat in his car, taking deep breaths. It was the first day of his surgical internship at La Masia Hospital in Barcelona. Years of college and medical school had all lead him to this moment. This was what he’d always wanted, wasn’t it?

You are ready, he told his reflection in the rear view mirror. They wouldn’t have taken you at the most exclusive program in Spain if you weren’t the top of your class.

Not even if my father’s name likely opened the doors in the first place?

Shutting down the thoughts and the battered old car, Cesc climbed out and grabbed the shiny new leather messenger bag he’d bought for his first day at the internship. After years of first days, all those first days of school as his father moved them around Europe to one hospital after another, university and med school, it shouldn’t bother him any more.

Who was he kidding, he thought as he slammed the door to get it to close and threw the bag over his shoulder, this was literally the first day of the rest of his life. If he was going to be a surgeon, possibly world class like his father, he was going to have to nail this internship. The doctors he would be working with would seal his fate, determining the opportunities he’d be able to have for the rest of his career. Piss someone off even today and he could kiss a top level residency goodbye.

As he crossed the car park, giving himself this mental pep talk, he almost didn’t notice a man about his age headed in the same direction, the same look of fierce determination on his face. He glanced at the man with a clearly freshly cut mop of hair on his head that someone had tried to make into a neat arrangement, unsuccessfully. The man’s eyes rose, having felt himself observed, and they met with Cesc’s.

Cesc gave him a brave smile and he got one in return. As they were both headed in from the employee car park, it was a fair assumption, “First day?”

The man nodded. “Intern.”

“Me too,” Cesc said as he fell into step with the man, about his height. “Cesc,” he introduced, leaving off the surname.

“Leo,” the man replied. 

“I’m a surgical resident,” Cesc supplied as they reached the sliding glass doors.

“Oh, me too,” Leo replied as they stepped out of the warm Barcelona morning into the over air conditioned hospital. The smell of the place invaded Cesc’s senses. Every hospital in the world smelled the same, more or less. No matter how hard you tried, you simply couldn’t get the disinfectant out of the air.

“Fourth floor?” Leo confirmed as he and Cesc made the turn past the disinterested receptionist toward the elevator.

“Yes,” Cesc agreed. “Four-forty-four,” he finished the meeting room number with a smile. His lucky number, after all.

Leo reached the button first and pressed it, rolling back on his heels nervously. “You get the feeling that this is the first day of the rest of our lives?”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

They had arrived on what was technically the first floor of the hospital, the ground floor opened out the back of the building where the emergency entrance was located, so when the elevator arrived, there were already several people on board.

And Cesc’s eyes just about popped out of his head when he recognized the one at the back. 

He’d seen it in his bed that morning.

Recognition crossed the handsome features as he winked at Cesc.

“Cesc?” Leo asked as he had already boarded the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor.

Cesc’s eyes dropped to the floor as he shuffled in with Leo who was eyeing him strangely. Shit, Cesc thought. He was in a lab coat. Was his one night stand a doctor at this hospital?

“You okay?” Leo asked as Cesc fretted.

“Fine,” Cesc muttered.

On the second floor, the elevator stopped again, and several people pushed past them, his one-night-stand, who’s name, Cesc suddenly realized, he didn’t know. The second floor was the surgical floor.

The doors closed again and it was just Cesc and Leo in the elevator. Leo had started to talk, a rattling monologue, an indication of nerves and nothing else. Cesc’s nerves had turned into dread. He’d gone out last night for a drink at a bar near the hospital. His flat wasn’t far and he’d just needed to not be sitting alone on the eve of his internship. Just a drink.

And then that gorgeous man had sat down next to him. Bought him a drink. How had it never come up that either of them were doctors?

No...because they’d talked about football. How Barcelona were doing this season. How the Champions League looked. How Venice looked in the fall. How Paris looked in the spring. How Cesc’s bedroom looked in the dark while Cesc clutched the headboard and tried not to scream.

How beautiful that face had been in the morning when Cesc had woken up to see it on his pillow before he’d escaped to the bathroom. Been (mostly) relieved when it was gone after his shower.

“I’ve heard the resident is really tough, do you think he’s going to be as tough as they say?” Leo asked in a low voice as they exited the elevator.

“Cristiano Ronaldo?” Cesc clarified as he turned back into Leo’s chatter. “I hear he’s as tough as they come, but he’s the best.”

Leo nodded. “That’s why we came to La Masia, didn’t we? To be the best?”

“Absolutely,” Cesc said as he and Leo shared a smile.

They arrived in the assigned room, and saw they were not the first to arrive. Three other young people, likely the other three interns in their group, already sat at the board room style table in the room.

All three of them shot them looks of suspicion. They were, after all competition in this fiercely contested world of surgery. How you did in your internship determined what kind of residency you could get. Your residency determined where you’d end up working after you passed your boards. You had to be the best of the best.

However, Leo waved at them all. “Hi, I’m Leo. This is Cesc. This is the right place for the surgical interns?”

“Sure,” said a tall, attractive man at the end of the table. “I’m Cesar.”

“Hi,” Leo said to him and turned to the man next to him, a smaller, stockier man who was engrossed in his phone. His eyes flicked up.

“Eden.”

“Hi,” Leo said with a slight frown. He turned to the third man as the door opened at the other end of the room.

“Good, no one is late, that’s a good sign for the first day. You two going to have a seat or are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”

Cesc started as a good looking man with dark hair strode into the room and look at him like he’d already managed to fuck up irretrievably.

Cesc and Leo scrambled into seats.

“My name is Cristiano Ronaldo, but you will address me as Dr. Ronaldo. My name is not Cristiano to you, or heaven forbid, Cris. I am your boss, not your friend. Do not come to me with your ridiculous personal problems. Do not call me at home. Do not call in sick unless you are more ill than the people we are here to treat, and if that’s the case, I better see you on my table, is that clear?”

Five heads nodded in unison.

“Good. We have rounds.”

Dr. Ronaldo turned and strode out of the room. For a split second, the five men sat still, and then Eden was on his feed, striding after him. The other four scurried to keep up.

After a stop in the supply room for lab coats, Dr. Ronaldo made his way to the elevator. “Tomorrow you will be here an hour earlier. I expect you to be on top of your patients and to present tomorrow. Our first patient is yours,” he said and handed a chart to Cesc.

Cesc looked down at it as they piled into the elevator. Thirty-three year old male, presented with extreme migraine pain, diagnosed with a brain tumor....

Leo was reading over his shoulder, and Cesc didn’t pull the chart away. 

“Whoa, brain tumor,” Leo muttered.

“Yes, Dr. Messi, brain tumor. Try to act like it’s not the first one you’ve ever seen when we stop in to see Mr. Barton?” Dr. Ronaldo gave Leo a glare that nearly made Cesc squirm. Apparently he was a harsh as they’d heard.

They strode down the surgical hall passing a blur of nurses’ stands and patient rooms. Cesc was going to get lost in this place and never find his way out again. This was the real reason that interns slept at the hospital. They couldn’t find the exit.

They stopped at a room and Cesc nearly ran into the back of Dr. Ronaldo.

Lying on the bed was a young man with dark hair and a sour expression on his face. A woman who appeared to be his wife hovered near by.

“Joseph Barton, thirty-three, complained of head pain…”

“I’ve had a fucking headache for two months,” the man reported as he glared at the interns. “What is this, a god-damn field trip?”

“Joey,” the woman said placatingly.

“My fucking head has hurt for two months,” the patient complained again. “I don’t have to fucking be nice to anyone.”

“Which is why we’re going to get that tumor removed for you this afternoon,” said a new voice from the doorway. 

Everyone turned and Cesc saw, with a sinking heart, his one-night-stand.

“Dr. Agger,” Dr. Ronaldo said deferentially.

“How are we feeling today, Joey?” the doctor said as he approached the bed. “No, wait, don’t tell me. Your fucking head hurts?”

Joey smiled. “Fucking right it does.”

“If things go according to plan, that won’t be a problem after today. Dr. Ronaldo, who’s my intern?”

“Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he indicated Cesc.

“Doctor?” Dr. Agger said with a smile. “Well isn’t that interesting?”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2

Dr. Ronaldo didn’t notice or didn’t give a fuck about the tension that suddenly appeared in the room. The other four interns gazed at Dr. Agger with interest, but Dr. Ronaldo had gone back to briefing them on the patient.

When he was done, he led the way back out of the room. “Dr. Fabregas, stay with Dr. Agger and see if he needs anything. Find me when he’s done with you.”

Leo craned his neck to gaze at Cesc, wide-eyed as the other intern was left standing in the room with the swearing brain surgery patient and the gorgeous doctor.

“Dr. Fabregas, eh?” Dr. Agger said with a smile. “I suppose when I saw the box of medical textbooks this morning when I showed myself out I might have guessed. Nice place you have, by the way. Do you live there alone? That flat is massive.”

“Yes,” Cesc managed to say as he gaped. The patient was now arguing with his wife. “Is his bad mood just a symptom of the pain or….”

“The tumor is pressing against his frontal lobe. The wife reports that he’s generally been an argumentative son of a bitch, but this seems to be a new thing. Hopefully when we relieve the pressure, it will correct itself,” Dr. Agger said professionally even as a small smile played at the corners of his lips. The young man was even more attractive for his unease, and Daniel had thought the kid was pretty damn hot last night. An intern for fuck’s sake.

“I can hear you!” the patient called over.

“Joey, please,” the wife said with the patience of a saint. Cesc briefly wondered why you stayed with a person who was verbally abusive like this, but then again, he still talked to his father even after everything.

“Sorry, the intern needs to fucking catch up,” Dr. Agger said as he turned a full wattage smile on the patient and crossed over to the bed. “We’ll get you prepped for surgery and have that tumor out of you by lunch time. You’ll be abusing the nurses before dinner.”

The anger momentarily dropped from Mr. Barton’s face as he looked up at Dr. Agger, and Cesc realized that the man was scared. “And…it’s not cancer?”

“We don’t think so,” Dr. Agger said. “But we’ll to a biopsy just to be sure. Generally these tumors are nothing more than a pain in the…well, brain.”

Mr. Barton nodded, but Cesc saw the effort pain him.

“Cesc, can you work with the nurse to prep him and have me paged when we’re ready to head up.”

“We…” Cesc said.

“You’re scrubbing in,” Dr. Agger said with a wink. “No time like the present to get your first look.”

Cesc nodded quickly as Dr. Agger departed. Scrubbing in on day one? That never happened. He was…

“Dr….?” a pretty young nurse with big blue eyes stepped into the room.

“Hi,” Cesc said with a smile. Be nice to the nurses. For fuck’s sake always be nice to the nurses his mentor in medical school had told them repeatedly. “Dr. Fabregas. Nurse…”

“Bojan,” the man smiled back. “Have you prepped a patient before?”

“No,” Cesc shook his head. His brain tried to access the information they’d learned in medical school about last vitals checks and prepping the site. 

“Okay, let me walk you through it,” Bojan said as he took the chart to double check the doctor’s orders. “Nothing to it.”

* * * *

“How did that little twit get a brain surgery already,” grumbled Eden as he followed Dr. Ronaldo down to the Emergency Room to do a surgical consult on a woman presenting with what appeared to be an appendicitis. Leo was the only one trailing, the other two having been dropped off at other patients. Cesar and, Leo had learned the other one’s name was Oscar, had gotten assigned to other doctors, though nothing as good as a brain tumor.

Leo didn’t have an answer for Eden’s complaint as he too was a little jealous, even though he didn’t think Cesc was a twit. Cesc had been really nice to him that morning and Leo was hoping they’d be friends. He’d just moved to Barcelona from Argentina and he didn’t know very many people yet. He was even still living in a hotel as he’d not even had time to get an apartment yet. 

They entered the Emergency Room and found a woman in obvious pain lying on a bed.

The emergency room doctor handed Dr. Ronaldo a chart. “Jenny Jenkins, twenty-nine, reports having pain in her mid right abdomen for several days now. Pain intensified over night.”

“Have we gotten a CT yet?” Dr. Ronaldo asked.

“She’s in line for one,” the doctor responded. “We’ve been a bit busy down here today.”

Leo glanced at the doctor who was clearly annoyed that Dr. Ronaldo appeared to be accusing him of not doing his job. Leo knew balance of power could be everything, and he’d been warned about being an arrogant surgeon. He refocused his attention on the woman. 

“Ma’am?” Leo said as she was hunched up in pain. “Do you…”

But even before he could get out the words the woman leaned over the side of the bed with a groan and puked all over Leo’s shoes.

Eden burst out laughing and even Dr. Ronaldo cracked a smile. “Well come La Masia, Dr. Messi.”

* * * *

As Cesc watched, Dr. Agger removed the tumor from Mr. Barton’s skull, gazing in fascination as his nimble fingers carefully cut only the tumor, leaving the brain undamaged. One thing Cesc had always loved about medicine was the idea that humans had developed such amazing techniques to heal that even fifty years ago they had been unable to do. Back then, Mr. Barton would have been sent home with some ineffective pain tablets and likely his wife would have found him dead one morning. Perhaps an autopsy could have told them the reason, but little could have been done to save the man. Now, baring complications, he would go home in a few days and likely live out the rest of his life normally. It was heady and empowering to learn to perform such miracles.

“Alright, we’re going to suture Mr. Barton back together. Dr. Fabregas, would you like to do the honors?” Dr. Agger…Daniel, looked up at Cesc who was wide-eyed. 

“Me?”

“No time like the present. I assume the taught you how to do sutures in med school?” Daniel was teasing him, eyes lit up with mirth.

Cesc nodded quickly as he stepped forward. The scrub nurse offered Cesc the needle and he leaned down to assess the wound and where to start. Daniel guided him through the steps, reaffirming what Cesc already knew, but not talking down to him or making him feel like he didn’t know what he was doing. Holy shit he was sewing this live patient’s head back together.

Daniel was a patient teacher, offering small corrections as Cesc worked. He was focused on what he was doing, but even as he concentrated, thought appeared in the back of his mind, unbidden. He’d slept with this man the night before. It had been fantastic sex- maybe the best Cesc had ever had. And then it turns out that this amazing man he’d met was one of his bosses? He couldn’t be messing around with one of the attending surgeons. If Dr. Ronaldo knew he’d freak out.

“Fantastic,” Dr. Agger praised as Cesc cut off the end of the thread and handed the needle back to the nurse who smiled approvingly. 

Cesc was grinning like a fool. Day one and he was in surgery.

“Great work everyone,” Dr. Agger said as the nurses moved in to finish the work. “Excellent work,” he said to Cesc.

Cesc nodded and followed Dr. Agger back to the scrub room, removing his nearly spotless gown and gloves.

“You looked steady in there. Not even first day nerves,” Dr. Agger went on. “You are going to be an excellent surgeon.”

“Thank you, Dr. Agger.”

“You can call me Daniel, or Dan, my friends call me Dan.”

Cesc’s heart gave a lurch. Friends. They couldn’t be friends any more than they could be lovers. He had to put a stop to this. Now.

“Dr. Agger,” Cesc said. “About last night…”

Daniel sighed as he well knew what was coming. “I know. I just…” He was gazing at Cesc with a looking of longing and lust that put Cesc’s resolve into question. “You…”

“I didn’t happen,” Cesc quickly cut him off. “It…it can’t. I’m an intern. You’re an attending. It can’t.”

“I know,” Daniel said again, this time looking away and leaving the statement completed.

Cesc escaped the scrub room and headed out to find Dr. Ronaldo. It had been hours ago he’d been told to find the resident, and he was hoping that the short-tempered man wasn’t going to be angry with him. He’d said to find him when Dr. Agger was done with him and he’d been busy this whole time.

“Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Ronaldo greeted him when he found the man at the main nurses’ station on the surgical floor. “You scrubbed in on the surgery?”

“Yes, Dr. Ronaldo,” Cesc said quickly. “We just now finished. I need to check on Dr. Barton post-op in about an hour.”

“Good,” Dr. Ronaldo said with an approving nod. “The rest of the interns went to lunch about ten minutes ago, you can probably catch them. I’ll be in OR One at one-thirty for an appendectomy if you’d like to watch from the gallery. You can duck out for your post-op.”

Cesc glanced at his watch. It was already past one. “Of course.”

Down in the cafeteria, he found the other four interns laughing together over something that had happened that morning.

“What did I miss?” Cesc asked as he approached the table with a plastic wrapped ham sandwich and a can of coke.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3

Day 3

“Leo got puked on!” Cesar reported gleefully and Leo groaned in embarrassment.

“All over my shoes,” Leo agreed as he lifted a formerly bright white trainer that looked like…well, someone had puked on it and it had been sort of cleaned off.

“Oh gross,” Cesc laughed as he pulled up a chair between Eden and Leo. “Guess what I did.”

“What?” Leo asked, knowing it must be good.

“I scrubbed in on that brain surgery and Dr. Agger let me close the wound, guys, I sewed together that guy’s head!” Cesc said cheerfully. This conversation might have turned the stomaches of a different group of young men, but as surgical interns, it took a little more than puke and sutures to put them off their sandwiches.

“So. Cool,” Leo said.

“How the hell did you get in a surgery all ready?” Eden complained. “All we get to do is watch an appendectomy after lunch. Watch. Ronaldo isn’t even letting any of use scrub in on it.”

Cesc shrugged though he had a fairly good idea. Oh god, these four could never, ever know that he slept with Dan. Never. “I guess it was pretty routine.”

“It was fucking brain surgery!” Oscar retorted. “Cesc, brain surgery!”

“I know,” Cesc was grinning. “You guys should have seen it. Oh my god, opened his brain right up and took out that tumor. I saw the whole thing. And you know you see tapes, right? Or they show you cadavers, but man when it’s like a real brain, a real alive person right there that they cut open…shit man.”

The other three smiled at him, even Eden who could hardly be sour in the face of this moment. 

“Come on,” Oscar said, looking at his watch as he stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. “We better get to the gallery to watch this appendectomy or Dr. Ronaldo will have us cleaning up more puke.”

Cesc looked at his sandwich which he’d barely taken a bit out of and got up, stuffing about half of it in his mouth as he followed the rest out of the cafeteria. He wasn’t even all that hungry, but he knew from past experience that when he lived on adrenaline for too long and didn’t feed himself, he crashed hard. And he had to watch this surgery and check on Mr. Barton and shit, he’d not even gotten a good look at the Emergency Room yet, he’d get down to see that as soon as he had a chance this afternoon.

A lot of surgical cases were referrals from internists, whose patients needed care above and beyond what they were trained for. Surgeons were the ones brought in to heal hearts, remove tumors, and replace organs. But there was also the other side to things. When people turned up in ER’s with bodies torn apart by traumatic injuries of some sort, the surgeons were brought in to put people back together again. 

Cesc was pretty sure that was the area he was going to want to specialize in, but that brain surgery today had been seriously cool. He didn’t have to decide for awhile. Maybe what he was going to be best at would present itself to him in the months to come.

In the operating room, Dr. Ronaldo was just finishing scrubbing in. He glanced up to see his row of interns filing in, all carrying iPads they’d been issued which were rapidly replacing the clipboards and paperwork that made hospitals run smoothy.

He barely acknowledged their presence, but began to explain, in detail, the steps they were taking in preparing the patient for the operation. 

Eden pulled up his note taking app, but was engrossed in watching the process happening below. It was like Cesc had said; you could watch all the videos in the world and nothing prepared you for the actual process, live, in front of your eyes.

He could not think of a time he didn’t want to be a doctor. The only son of two highly ambitious parents, his father had been a little disappointed at first that he wasn’t going to go into the family business after college, but his mother was so in love with the idea of “her-son-the-doctor” that she quickly brought his father over to the idea.

However, even she started to question Eden when he wanted to do nothing but study. How he had Grey’s Anatomy memorized from cover to cover while he was taking high school biology. How he all but refused to date, only tolerating being set up for the senior prom because the girl he ended up going with turned out to be as interested in medic as he was. How he’d never called her again because she wanted to be a nurse. Don’t get him wrong, nurses are lovely, but really? He was going to be the world’s foremost heart surgeon. He didn’t have time for that.

He’d considered brain surgery for awhile, but the heart was the center of the human body. You could live without your brain. You couldn’t live without a heart.

They were looking down on the surgery, but there was also a video screen showing the incision site in front of them. Before Dr. Ronaldo explained each step, Eden was replaying it in his head. He knew that appendectomies were usually the first surgery interns were allowed to perform, so he’d made it a point of understanding the process on his break after graduation and before his internship.

It was nice, though, to see the process in front of him. His fingers itched to get started.

“Am I a little be sick that this is the best thing I’ve done this week and I had sex last night?” Oscar asked him in a low voice as Dr. Ronaldo began to close the patient.

“Don’t tell that to you partner,” Eden said with a smile.

Oscar smiled as he thought about his girlfriend. She lived in Madrid where they’d gone to university, moving there with him from Brazil when they were teenagers to go to college. He’d hoped she’d be moving with him to Barcelona for his internship, but she’d not been keen on it. She’d just gotten a new job and they had a lot of friends. She’d really been hoping he’d get an internship in Madrid.

He hadn’t told her he’d been offered one but had turned it down to take the Barcelona one. He knew she loved Madrid, but La Masia was the best hospital in Europe. If he was going to be a surgeon, he needed to train with the best, not at the hospital near his girlfriend.

He loved her, he really did. But there were days when he loved this job even more.

“Can someone tell me the possible complications with an appendectomy?”

Cesc and Leo’s hands shot up, but Eden just opened his mouth. “There can be perforation of the appendix with the possibility of contamination, peritonitis, abscess, and sepsis. When that occurs you have a risk of infection and death can occur.”

“Excellent, Dr. Hazard. Glad to see someone is prepared.”

Cesc and Leo glared at Eden, but he didn’t care. This was a contest, and he meant to finish first.

* * * *

In the midst of the appendectomy, Cesc had forgotten he needed to check on Mr. Barton and hustled down to his room as soon as Dr. Ronaldo was finished. Walking into the room, he found Mrs. Barton sat at his bedside, a smile on her face.

“Dr. Agger was just here, he said that Joey looks good and he should wake up soon.”

“Excellent,” Cesc said even as his stomach twisted, hoping that an angry doctor wasn’t about to haul him off for a talking to about missing his post-op rounds. Mr. Barton was fine, but what if he hadn’t been. Damn, damn, damn.

“Dr. Fabregas,” he heard as he left the room after double checking Mr. Barton’s vitals.

He turned to see Dan coming his way, but there was a smile on his face. “You missed post-op.”

“I know, I’m sorry, there was a surgery and then I…forgot…it will never happen again, I promise!” Cesc spilled out, but Dan still didn’t look upset.

“It happens. Next time you’re headed to the OR, let someone know. A nurse can look in or I can do it.”

“Sure….okay,” Cesc said as he tried not to gaze at Dan. To look at the tattoos that peeked out from under his lab coat. At the panorama of tattoos that covered his arms and back which he’d seen last night, which had been magnificent even in the dark. Not a lot of doctors had tattoos as they regarded them as perhaps low class and not always medically advisable. Cesc had a couple, out of rebellion against his father for the most part, but also because he rather admired well done ink.

Dan smiled again. “I was about to go get a cup of coffee. Care to join me?”

“No,” Cesc said too quickly. “I need to get back to see Dr. Ronaldo to see what else he needs me to get done this afternoon.” Technically their daily shift was from 6 am to 6 pm, but everyone knew that a doctor’s hours in a hospital, especially those of interns and residents were hardly regular. If there weren’t any cases to been seen to, they were allowed to leave at six, however two or three of them would be on call every night which meant they weren’t to wander too far and needed to rest when they could. Often they would sleep over in the hospital just to avoid having to rush back. Cesc was on call that night and he wondered that he might stay. His flat wasn’t far, but it was large and empty, part of which had prompted him to go out the night before.

The flat belonged to his father who used to work at La Masia. He was loaning it to Cesc for his internship, and Cesc hated to be beholden to the man for anything. What he really needed to do was get some roommates to fill the empty bedrooms.

“We can be friends, Cesc,” Dan said in a low voice as he took a step closers to him. Cesc caught his scent on the air and his body reacted. “I know I’m your boss, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get along and be friends.”

“Uh…,” Cesc tried to think of something reasonable to reply, but as his libido ached for Dan, there wasn’t much left for his brain to process with.

Dan stepped away from him and down the corridor, leaving a confused Cesc in his wake.

* * * * 

Leo looked down at the patient and wondered if he should really be that yellow color. The patient was in for a liver transplant and jaundice was a clear indication that something had gone wrong. He fretted for a moment. Dr. Ronaldo had assigned him to the woman to make sure that she would be ready for her operation tomorrow. A family member was donating half of her liver and if the patient wasn’t one hundred percent, the transplant couldn’t got forward.

Looking at the chart, he realized that no one had checked on the woman in over an hour. It was possible that this had developed recently and no one but Leo had seen it. 

He stepped out of the room. “Excuse me, nurse?”

A brown haired young man was walking past and paused. “Yes?”

Leo looked at his name tag. “Bojan. The patient in two-twelve, in for the liver transplant? She’s…uh….yellow.”

“Oh,” Bojan said as he ran to the door. “Shit. Page Dr. Ronaldo.”

“What is it?”

“Just page him!” Bojan snapped which sent Leo running in a panic to the nurse’s station. 

“Page Dr. Ronaldo!”

The nurse behind the desk gave him a look like “are you seriously yelling at me, twit”? However, she picked up the phone and dialed.

Leo ran back to the room where Bojan was checking the patients pupils which had also gone yellow. “What can I do?”

“Check her vitals. If there’s a drop in blood pressure, we could be in serious trouble.”

Leo paled, not wanting to ask what serious trouble he was referring to. Dr. Ronaldo had told him to read up on liver transplants when assigning him this case, but then there had been the appendectomy and lunch and…he didn't know what it meant that the patient had suddenly gone jaundiced! Or what blood pressure had to do with anything!

As he was checking the readings, Dr. Ronaldo appeared. “When did this happen?”

“Dr. Messi just notified me,” Bojan said, deflecting the blame.

“I was checking on her, like you asked!” Leo protested. “It just happened since the last time she was checked on!”

“BP?” Dr. Ronaldo barked, more interested in his patient than who was to blame.

“One twenty over seventy five!” Leo reported. That was good. That was a good BP.

Dr. Ronaldo nodded. “Okay. She’s just reminding us how much she needs this transplant.”

The panic surrounding the patient had woken her up. Confused brown eyes appeared under a shaggy mop of curls. Leo hadn’t even looked at her face other than to determine the color of her skin.

“What happened?”

“You’re fine, Rebecca,” Dr. Ronaldo said. For all of his bluster, he was remarkably kind and calm with his bedside manner. “You’ve just gone a bit yellow.”

The eyes sagged closed and a smile appeared. “Yeah, that happens.”

“Tomorrow morning we’ll get that mess of a liver out of you and you won’t even remember what the color yellow looks like.”

 

The patient seen too, Leo slunk out into the hallway with Dr. Ronaldo.

“Good catch, Dr. Messi,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “In the end it was nothing, but we’ve got to monitor for things like this. Have you read up on liver transplants?”

“Just getting to that,” Leo said, “it’s been a little busy.”

“That happens,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “But that’s what the evenings are for. Are you on call tonight?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I suggest you spend the time reading up if you want to scrub in tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” Leo said, wide smile on his face. Yes!


	4. Chater 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4

Day 4

 

At the end of the day, the interns were all gathered in the locker room, leaning against the walls. It was a worn room, looking like someone had made an effort when the building was put up some fifty years ago, but had been skipped over in any future renovations, as though this was good enough for interns.

“My feet ache,” Cesar commented as he kicked off a trainer and rubbed at his toes.

“Get used to that,” Leo joked as he kicked off his own stinky pair. He was going to have to get some new ones. Those were rank.

“Soak them in baking soda and vinegar and then tossed them in the washing machine,” Cesar advised. “They won’t be prefect, but they won’t smell any more.”

“Thanks,” Leo said.

“And tomorrow bring a spare pair,” Oscar waved at his nose as the shoes really did smell awful.

“Who else in on call tonight?” Cesc asked as he made no move to get out of his scrubs. 

“Me,” Leo said. 

“And me,” Cesar said. “They’ve got me on a case of a premature baby tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Leo nodded. “I’ve got a transplant. I’m headed to the medical library.”

“I’ll join you,” Cesar said. 

“I was going to ask if anyone wanted to grab a pizza,” Cesc said even though he knew damn well they were right to get on the studying.

“How about we go at like nine?” Leo negotiated, eager to placate. “I hear there’s a fantastic bar just around the corner than all of the doctors go to. Place called Guti’s.”

“In,” Cesar said.

“Guti’s?” Cesc echoed.

“You been there?”

“Once.”

* * * *

They were sat in the medical library, pouring over a volume of transplant history. Most medical texts could be accessed online these days, but Leo had grown up with books and appreciated it when people considered that not everything worked best on a screen.

“So it’s a donor transplant?” Cesc asked as Leo took notes. “Cool.”

“It’s her sister,” Leo said. “I’m not sure my brothers would pass me a pair of nail scissors if I had an infected hangnail.”

Cesc smiled. “I don’t have any siblings.”

“You’re lucky,” Leo said. “Two older brothers who never once miss an opportunity to tell me what a loser I am.”

“Loser?” Cesar asked. “You’re in med school, hell, you’re a doctor!”

The door opened and all three looked up to see John Terry, the head of surgery.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. “Are you the interns Dr. Ronaldo has this year?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as he tried to get up. He knew John Terry quite well.

“Cesc Fabregas,” Dr. Terry said, looking him up and down. “I know your father.”

“Yes, sir,” Cesc replied. Know was the understatement of the year. Knew his father? Caused the break up of his parent’s marriage leaving his mother depressed and suicidal so that Cesc had to grow up a nomadic child of a world famous surgeon?

“And you two are?” Dr. Terry asked as he looked at the other two, gaping at the knowledge that Cesc’s father was friends with the chief of surgery. 

“Uh, Lionel Messi, sir,” Leo said as he stood to shake the hand of the surgeon.

“Cesar Azpilicueta.”

“Dr. Azpilicueta?” Dr. Terry said with a slight smile. “Don’t go into pediatrics with a name like that.”

“No sir,” Cesar gave a tight smile, like he hadn’t heard that joke three million times in his life. Oh, Cesar has a funny name. No one can pronounce that name.

“I’ll let you get back to work, gentlemen,” Dr. Terry said. “I’ve doing a spinal alignment tomorrow. I’ll ask Dr. Ronaldo if I can borrow one of you if you have a chance to read up on it.”

He left and Cesar shouted. “DIBBS! You guys got surgeries already. This one is mine!”

Cesc and Leo started to laugh. “All you, Dr. Azpilicueta.”

* * * *

They all studied in silence for a couple of hours, but at about nine, stomaches began to rumble and Leo looked at his watch. “We ready to take a break?”

“So ready,” Cesar said as he slammed shut a volume on skeletal structures. He yawned and stretched. This was worse than a day long photo shoot. He used to hate those days, when they’d need him for five minutes and then not again for two hours. It had given him a lot of time to study in med school.

Cesar had paid off his entire med school degree as a model. And, considering how little interns got paid, he was taking a serious pay cut to have to give up his modeling gigs. But he had wanted to be a doctor since he was a kid. As well as the modeling paid, it was mind-numbing. He just happened to be graced with good looks as well as brains so he could afford to get a degree.

As Cesc got up, his pager went off.

All three of them stopped and stared at it. “Dude!” Leo said excitedly. “You got the first page!”

Cesc’s phone was out and he was dialing the number on the pager. “Hello?”

“Dr. Fabregas, we need you in the ER.”

“I’m in the library, I’ll be right there,” Cesc said excitedly as he rushed out of the library. “Save me a piece of pizza!”

Secretly, he was rather pleased to be avoiding having to go to Guti’s. The bartender, a blond with a way too knowing smile, had seen him hook up with Dr. Agger and leave with him. The last thing he needed was for that guy to recognize him and say something in front of his friends. No, he was not going back there any time soon. He was much happier dealing with whatever disaster was waiting in the Emergency Room.

As Cesc made his way down to the ER, he wondered at what was about to face. Wait. Should he have asked? Did it matter?

As he burst through the double doors, feeling like a doctor as seen on TV, he stopped at the nurse’s station.

“Dr. Ronaldo needs you in room four,” the nurse told him, and seeing a confused look, pointed him in the right direction.

As he made his way to the room, he wondered that if Dr. Ronaldo was already there…

Knocking first, he waited to be invited in. 

“Yes?”

Cesc opened the door and found Dr. Ronaldo cradling a crying little boy who couldn’t have been much more than four years old. He had a mop of dark brown hair and tears streaming out of his eyes. Cesc quickly saw why the boy was in tears. His right arm was at an unnatural angle.

“Oh my heavens,” Cesc said, catching the boy’s attention with his words. “That looks like it hurts a whole awful lot.”

“Hurts,” the boy whimpered in agreement. Big dark eyes peered at him with damp lashes. 

“Dr. Ronaldo and I can fix that right up. Where’s your mummy?”

Dr. Ronaldo’s head snapped up. “He doesn’t have a mother.”

“Oh,” Cesc said, confusion plain on his features. 

“It’s my son. His name is Cristiano Junior. We call him CJ.”

Cesc was rather proud just then of the fact that he didn’t stare in shock at the child, and instead moved forward. “Have we had an X-Ray yet?”

“I think we should have an MRI,” Dr. Ronaldo countered.

“How bad is it?” Cesc asked as he looked again at the arm.

“I’m worried there’s muscular damage,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he laid a hand on CJ’s elbow. “Daddy’s going to let Dr. Fabregas have a look at it, okay, CJ? This might hurt.”

The boy whimpered and clung to his father’s chest with his left fist. Cesc examined the arm, and it was a bad break, but at least not a compound one. Both bones in the forearm were clearly broken. Cesc ran his fingers across it with the lightest of touches, and could see what had Cristiano concerned.

“Is the orthopedic surgeon going to be in to look at it?” Cesc rightly asked.

“He’s on his way. But hospital policy won’t let me treat my own child and I need someone to order the MRI.”

Cesc nodded curtly. “I’ll see to it right away.”

He had no idea how to order an MRI.

Dr. Ronaldo snatched the iPad out of his hand. “Here. You’ve been assigned on the case, see, he turns up in your patient tab? Click on his name and then choose the procedure to order. It will tell you how long of a wait it is and then you coordinate with the nurse on taking him to the MRI machine on level three.”

Cesc absorbed this, all clicking the keys and discovered he could be seen right away. “Looks like we can get right in, CJ!” Cesc told the boy. “And by the time we get done getting a picture of that arm, the doctor will be here to set it for you!”

CJ looked trustingly at Cesc. “Will he make it stop hurting?”

“I know he will. Hey, do you like ice cream?”

“Yes!”

“I bet,” Cesc glanced at Dr. Ronaldo who had something almost like a smile on his face, “that if you are a really brave boy when we go get this MRI, your Daddy will let you have some ice cream later.”

“Daddy?” CJ asked to confirm this.

“You can have a great big ice cream cone,” Dr. Ronaldo agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 9016

Day 5

They wheeled CJ up to the MRI room where a careful technician set the boy up for the scan. As they watched Dr. Ronaldo eyed Cesc.

“Have you considered pediatrics?”

Cesc looked at him. “Not…really.”

“You have an amazing knack with kids,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “Some days I struggle to talk to my own kid at his level, but you jumped right in there like it was second nature.”

“Thanks,” Cesc said with a smile. “I don’t know. I mean, I know it’s a needed field, but the thought of sick kids all day…”

“But you would be the one healing them,” Dr. Ronaldo reminded him. “That’s the thing about medicine. You have to see all the sick people, but you can help most of them. And the ones you can’t, well, that’s the worst part of this job.”

Cesc nodded as he listened to Dr. Ronaldo talk. Okay, they guy was a tough bastard, but he was also passionate about his work. 

“What have we here?” 

Cesc turned to see a tall man with a mop of curly hair that would not have looked out of place at an 80’s concert.

“Carles, thanks for coming it.”

“I wasn’t on call,” he said, even as he smiled at Dr. Ronaldo. “Is our little monkey okay?”

“It’s bad break,” Dr. Ronaldo replied. “I just wanted you to look at it before we set it to make sure there’s not more damage than we think. He’s a tough kid, but he doesn’t need any more surgeries.”

“Fall off his bike?” Carles asked.

“Right into the side of the pavement. Think’s he’s some kind of professional biker,” Dr. Ronaldo sighed. He was watching him as he always did. Enjoying a warm evening while his son raced up and down the small lane they lived on. He had told him one and one times to be more careful. At least he’d been wearing a helmet.

“Dr. Carles Puyol, this is Dr. Cesc Fabregas, one of my new interns.”

“Nice to meet you,” Carles said as he shook Cesc’s hand.

“Dr. Puyol is the head of orthopedics,” Dr. Ronaldo explained.

It must be nice to be able to call in a stop surgeon in the field when your child was sick. Cesc wondered at the “any more surgeries” as he pulled up the kid’s file on his tablet. As he clicked on the medical history section, he quickly realized what they were talking about.

It appeared the boy had been born with a leaky heart valve. He’d had surgery the day after he was born to have it fixed. However, as he had gotten older, the heart hadn’t developed correctly, and multiple surgeries had been done to correct the issue. The file listed him currently in good health, but with any number of precautions to be taken in case of emergency. The poor kid had not had the easiest of childhoods.

But as the MRI appeared on the screen, it appeared to be a fairly clean break.

“That should be an easy set,” Dr. Puyol said as he examined the screen. “You want me to do it, I suppose?”

“Yes, please,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “He trusts you.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good call on his part,” Dr. Puyol said as he shot a wink at Cesc.

Cesc went pink at the attention. Lord, the doctors in this place were a flirty bunch. 

* * * *

“So who is Cesc’s dad?” Cesar asked as he googled Cesc Fabregas in his phone. Both he and Leo were having soft drinks even though a cold beer at the end of this day sounded amazing. They sat at a booth in the bar, crowded even on a Monday. Leo saw any number of people from the hospital, including that adorable nurse, Bojan, who was sat at the bar talking to an incredibly good looking blond bartender.

“I have no idea,” Leo said. “Is that nurse flirting with me?”

Cesar looked up from his phone and turned around.

“Don’t LOOK,” Leo protested with a groan. Bojan was turned in their direction, and when he saw Cesar whip around, he’d turned away quickly.

Cesar turned back. “You asked if he was flirting! How else was I supposed to know?”

“You could have been more subtle about it,” Leo moaned as he slumped down and drank his Coke.

“Sorry,” Cesar said. “I can’t find any Dr. Fabregas other than Cesc,” he reported as he shut down his phone. 

“Maybe his dad has a different name?” Leo asked as he turned his phone around nervously.

“I suppose,” Cesar said. “He didn’t look happy when Dr. Terry said he knew he dad. “Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Maybe he realized if we all knew who his dad was we’d get all weird and google him and question whether or not he really deserved this internship we all busted out asses to get when he busted his ass just as hard as we did and wants to get where he’s got on his own merit.”

“Or that,” Cesar smiled at Leo who grinned back.

The blond from behind the bar appeared with a steaming pizza for them. “So. Are you two the new interns the nurses are all abuzz about?”

“What?” Leo asked, startled.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” the blond said. “Hi, I’m Guti, by the way.” He scooted into the booth on Leo’s side, and the two interns eyed each other warily.

“This is your bar?”

“It is indeed,” Guti said with a smile. “And you are?”

“Cesar.”

“Leo.”

“Nice to meet you gentlemen,” Guti said. “Pie’s on the house.”

“You don’t have to…” Cesar deflected.

“Of course I don’t, but I’m going to anyway. Have to look after the baby doctors over at La Masia. You working with Ronaldo?”

“Yes?” Leo said, eyes wide.

Guti chuckled. “Hey, the nurses have loose lips. And Bojan has a little crush.”

“Well, that answered your question,” Cesar said as he helped himself to a steaming slice of the pie.

“So, do you two live near here or are you on-call tonight?”

“On-call,” Cesar said through cheese.

“At the moment, I’m living with my parents way, way out of town. It takes an hour to get there,” Leo said forlornly. “I can’t go home when I’m on call.”

“That kinda sucks,” Guti agreed.

“Hey, I need a place too,” Cesar said. “I’m sleeping on a friend’s couch.”

“There you go, get a place together,” Guti said with a grin. “And you,” he pointed at Leo. “Go get Bojan’s number before he has another drink and does something silly with those businessmen on the other side of the bar.” He pushed himself up. “And come back and see us some night when you can stay for a drink.”

“Sure,” Cesar. agreed as Leo had shoved way too much pizza in his mouth to perhaps attempt to choke himself to death. “You hear Guti? Bojan has a thing for you! He’s adorable! Go talk to him!”

Leo struggled to swallow. “You can’t date nurses! That is a recipe for disaster! What if it goes wrong! What if it fucks up your working environment?”

“What are you, fucking fifty? What if it works and you get laid!” Cesar protested. “He’s adorable. And who knows, maybe he’s got a spare bedroom and we can both move in with him!”

Leo laughed as he took another bite. Life at La Masia would be, if nothing else, entertaining.

* * * *

Cesc was back in the library after discharging CJ to the care of his father after Dr. Puyol had expertly set the arm. The boy was teary but still in one piece. Cesc was contemplating what Dr. Ronaldo had said about him specializing in pediatrics. To be sure, it had felt kind of amazing when he’d handed over a lollipop to the boy who had given him a toothy grin.

“So, was it good?” Leo asked as he carried the left over pizza in a box and laid it down in front of Cesc.

“Oh, you guys are my favorites,” Cesc said as he flipped open the lid. “Next one is on me, okay?”

“Never mind, it was free,” Cesar said and Leo smacked his arm.

“He so would have picked up the tab next time!”

Cesc chuckled and took a bite.

“So, tell. It must not have been too surgical or you’d have scrubbed in, surely? The next one better be mine,” Leo said as he hovered over Cesc who was attempted to eat his dinner. After missing most of lunch, he’d just realized how hungry he was.

“Wasn’t surgical,” he said and wiped sauce off of his chin. “It was Dr. Ronaldo’s son. Had a broken arm and he needed someone to look at it ASAP.”

“So he paged you. Nice,” Cesar said.

“Ronaldo has a kid?” Leo asked as Cesar seemed to entirely have missed the juiciest part of the story.

“Little boy. Four. Apparently has had a rough go of it with a bad heart. Sweetest kid ever. Dr. Ronaldo was so worried about him and the kid had a smile on his face by the time they left.”

“Is he married?” Leo pressed.

“No mother was listed anywhere on the file,” Cesc said. “Maybe she took off when she realized that the kid was sick.”

“It happens,” Cesar agreed. “So, Ronaldo may be human after all.”

“He loves that kid,” Cesc said.

“So. Liver transplants,” Leo sighed as he went back to the book he’d abandoned two hours ago. He hadn’t meant to take such a long break, but the pizza had been good and the atmosphere in Guti’s was a good one.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 10235

In the end, Bojan and his friends had gone home before Leo had gotten up the nerve to talk to him. Leo wasn’t exactly the smoothest when it came to trying to flirt.

Cesar was yawning within the hour. “I should get some coffee.”

“Maybe you guys should head home for a bit?” Cesc said. “Maybe we all should.”

“Can’t,” Leo sighed. “I live with my parents in Vilanova. I only get to go home if I’m not on call.”

“My roommate has a new girlfriend,” Cesar sighed. “And I could cope if I had my own room, but I have to sleep on the couch and apparently that’s cramping his style.”

“He likes to make a move on the couch?” Leo asked, making a face.

“The one I have to sleep on,” Cesar said. “So when I told him I was on call tonight he was all ‘hey- that means you stay at the hospital, right’ which basically means I have no home to go to.”

Cesc made a sympathetic noise. “You need to…” he trailed off. “I need roommates.”

“Done,” Cesar said quickly. “When can I move in?”

Cesc laughed. “I haven’t told you about the place.”

“I don’t care. I’ll sleep on your floor,” Cesar was about to beg. Cesc seemed like a decent guy and he needed a place, badly.

“I’m not sure about sleeping on the floor, but I’d be interested too,” Leo said. “Though I can’t afford much. Med school bills and all.”

“No worries,” Cesc said quickly. In all honesty, he could probably afford to let them both say for free. As much as he hated it, his dad paid for the place. He doubted his father even saw the bills that came through. He wouldn’t even notice that the utilities went up for having three people in the house. “So…uh…about $300 a month?”

Leo’s eyes bugged. “Three hundred?”

“I mean,” Cesc backpedaled, “I mean…”

“Do we get our own rooms?” Cesar pressed. 

“Sure yeah, there’s four bedrooms. You’d have to share a bathroom, though.”

“Done,” Leo said before Cesc could change his mind. “Is it close?”

“Yeah, actually,” Cesc said as he gave them the address. “I could walk but…”

“You have a four bedroom place that close to the hospital? Are you like rich or something?” Leo spit out before he thought about it, and the look on Cesc’s face made him wish he could take it back.

“I’m not,” Cesc said. “It’s my dad’s place.”

“He lives there?” Cesar asked curiosity about Cesc’s father tinged with a reluctance to live with Cesc and his dad. Awkward much?

“No,” Cesc shook his head. “He’s in Geneva.”

The pager saved Cesc from the line of questioning. This time it was all three of them being called down to the Emergency Room.

Studying and pizza was abandoned as all three made for the door.

* * * *

When Eden and Oscar arrived back in the hospital the following morning, three interns were sleeping in the corner of the locker room.

“Heavens,” Oscar said as he peered down at Cesar who was drooling out the side of his mouth.

Eden toed Cesc. “Hey sleeping beauties, we got rounds.”

Cesc let out a snort. 

Oscar and Eden burst out laughing, which woke all three of them. “Tough night?”

“Car accident,” Leo yawned. “Internal injuries. Cesar got to do stitches in a guy’s head.”

“Yeah?” Oscar asked, interested. “Was that good?”

“Yeah,” Cesar agreed. 

“So, what surgeries today?” Eden asked as the three got up and stared to organize them selves. He hovered over Cesc who was digging deodorant out of his locker. He had to smell.

“Leo’s got that transplant,” Cesc said as he pulled of his scrubs and tossed the old one in the bin. “I know there’s more surgery to be done on this one guy who’s leg was messed up in the accident, the attending was waiting for him to stabilize.”

“Who’s got that?”

“I think Cesar was on it?” Cesc asked.

“Yes,” Cesar said as he too changed out of his scrubs and into something fresh.

Eden frowned. He wanted in on something good. 

“We better move,” Oscar said as he looked at his watch.

All five interns piled out of the room, pulling up current patient charts on their iPads and prepping for rounds.

Dr. Ronaldo has dark circles under his eyes.

“How’s CJ?” Cesc asked as he approached. 

“He didn’t sleep much. Dr. Puyol gave us some pain medicine, but I don’t like to give him too much. It can actually make him restless.”

Cesc nodded. “Poor kid. Did he get his ice cream?”

“Not yet,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “I didn’t think ice cream at midnight was a good idea. I promised him tonight.”

Eden’s eyes were narrowed. Cesc was way too friendly with way too many of these doctors. Eden needed to get in better with the doctors.

“Dr. Ronaldo, I’m taking your intern,” Dr. Agger said as he arrived. “My brain patient has had a bleed and I need to go back in.”

“Mr. Barton?” Cesc asked, in a momentary panic that something had gone wrong. “I thought he was okay.”

“He will be, OR 2 in five minutes?”

“He’s yours,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he waved away Cesc.

Cesc followed Dr. Agger..Dan down the corridor and it suddenly occurred to him that they were alone again. And he was tired from the long night. And breakfast. He hadn’t gotten breakfast. He was going to do something really stupid.

“You must have been on call last night,” Dr. Agger said. “You’ve got that bleary eyed look the interns get.”

“I’m ready!” Cesc said quickly.

“You eat?”

“No,” Cesc admitted. “I just woke up.”

“Go get a doughnut,” Dr. Agger said. “Have a large coffee and meet me in OR 2.”

Cesc eyed him for a moment. Dr. Agger…Dan…was smiling at him. He wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t asking him to go out. He was just being nice.

“Go before I change my mind,” Dan said with a smile.

Fuck me, that smile, Cesc thought as he turned away. 

Even though he had permission, he sneaked down to the cafeteria where he bought himself three doughnuts and a large cafe latte. He hid in a corner as he devoured the pastries and read up on complications with brain tumor removal. It seemed that post operative bleeding wasn’t all the uncommon. There were so many vessels in the brain that getting them all was nearly impossible. Patients had to be monitors and corrections could be made rather easily.

Brushing powder crumbs off of his scrubs, he made his way to the OR where Dan was getting his gloves on.

“That was fast.”

“I can eat a doughnut in record time,” Cesc grinned.

“It’s on your chin there,” Dan indicated, and would have reached out to brush it away, but his hands were sterile for the surgery and he caught himself before he did so. But he gazed at Cesc for too long of a moment. Desiring him. Remembering that night. Wanting to know more about this beautiful, talented young man.

“I better get scrubbed in,” Cesc said as he caught the smudge for himself and turned away. He was never going to survive this internship.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 12311

Day Seven

By lunch time, Eden was annoyed. Leo was in a transplant surgery. Cesc had done not one, but two brain surgeries. Cesar had been in on the delivery of a premature baby, and now Oscar was in on a bowel resection. All Eden had done so far was an appendectomy. A stupid appendectomy. A stupid med student could handle that. He was an intern now!

He needed a serious surgery and he was going to get one.

He sat alone in the cafeteria, ignoring a salad as he paged through the patient charts on his iPad. There had to be something here. Something he could get in on…

He paused on a triple bypass surgery. Male, fifty-five, George VonLear… The attending on the case was a doctor called Frank Lampard…

Abandoning his salad, he ran to the library to read everything he could find on heart bypass surgery.

“Eden, you finish already?” Cesc asked as Eden flew past him on his way out of the cafeteria.

“I can’t stay!”

Cesc watched him barrel away and frowned. He knew he had always been driven, had always wanted nothing more than to be a doctor, but Eden took it to a new level.

Standing in the line he eyed a chicken and pasta dish. He might actually have time to sit down and eat a meal today. Yesterday he’d shoved all of his food in his mouth as he ran from place to place, never mind the doughnuts this morning. Yes, he would have the chicken and pasta, and a nice side salad and he’d read up on the patients he was assigned.

“Go for the Caesar salad,” a voice advised, “they give you way more croutons in that one.”

Cesc turned to see Dan in the line behind him, with a plate of spaghetti on his tray.

“Can I buy you lunch?” Dan asked.

“No,” Cesc said firmly as he turned back to the salads. Yes, there were definitely more croutons on the Caesar salad. And he did love croutons.

He picked up the garden salad and reached for a paper cup to get some Coke.

Dan chuckled behind him as he took the Caesar salad for himself and winked at the lady behind the counter who gave him an extra packet of croutons.

“Dolores, you do spoil me.”

“It’s not spoiling, it’s just treating the customers right,” the woman flirted back.

God, did he try to sleep with everything on two legs? Cesc thought bitterly even as the jealousy flared within him. You can’t have him, he’s an attending. You are not going to be that intern who sleeps with your boss and then gets all the good surgeries because you slept with your boss and no one has any respect for you because you’re nothing but a whore.

Like your father.

Coke spilled over Cesc’s hands as he’d stopped paying attention to the cup he was filling. Swearing under his breath he pulled the cup away, slopping more onto the sleeve of his lab coat in the process.

Smooth Cesc, you’re real fucking smooth.

“Here,” Dan said as he offered a wad of napkins to Cesc and used another to wipe up the spill.

“Thank you,” Cesc said politely, still berating himself for being an idiot.

As he was mopping up the mess, Dan leaned across him and told the cashier that he’d pay for Cesc’s meal as well.

“You don’t…” Cesc started to protest, but gave up the fight. Fine. He paid for his lunch. That was nice, but it didn’t mean Cesc owed him anything. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dan said as he paid.

Cesc walked over to an empty table by the window. The space was bright and airy, and you could see the Mediterranean out in the distance. He expected Dan to follow him, but when he looked up, Dan had joined Dr. John Terry and Dr. Carles Puyol at a table with another doctor Cesc didn’t know yet.

To say he was disappointed was an understatement. Okay, fine, he’d told Dan to back off. He’d been nearly rude, and then the man had bought him lunch and…

Cesc pulled up an article on his tablet and pretended to read even as he stared at Dan out of the corner of his eye. Dan was talking and laughing with the other doctors and Cesc could have sworn he was flirting with Dr. Terry.

Maybe Dan was the whore. Maybe Cesc was just another notch on his bedpost that didn’t mean anything.

Even as he thought the mean things about Dan he knew in his heart none of them were true. That Dan had been kind and funny the night they’d hooked up. How he’d been an amazing lover. How he probably would have stuck around for breakfast if Cesc hadn’t fled the scene.

He just wished Dan would back off and stop being so damn good looking. Then maybe Cesc could think about something else.

* * * *

“Daniel, that intern may be stalking you,” Dr. John Terry reported as he watched Cesc gaze at Dan with undisguised desire on his face.

Dan laughed. “I doubt that. I tried to buy him lunch and he all but threw his drink in my face to get away from me.”

“Daniel, are you flirting with the interns?” Carles asked with a grin.

“I can’t help it, they keep sending us pretty ones!” Dan said with a cheeky grin. He’d not admitted to any of his colleagues that he’d slept with Cesc, and quite frankly, he had no intention of doing so. Perhaps he should know better than to still be friendly with the young man. Nothing good ever came with sleeping with your colleagues. And it was even worse if you married them.

“You know, that Messi kid is adorable,” Carles mused. “John, can I get him on my service tomorrow?”

John chuckled and shook his head. “Those interns are the responsibility of Dr. Ronaldo, so good luck with that.”

Dan was the newest of the doctors at the hospital and didn’t have as much experience with Cristiano. “Is he always this grumpy?”

“He is if you mess around with his interns,” John said. “Tell him about it, Frank.”

The fourth doctor at the table was the head of cardio-thoracic surgery, Dr. Frank Lampard who was pointedly not involved in this conversation.

He glanced at John. “Don’t sleep with the interns, Daniel.”

Dan’s face broke into a grin. “You’re not any fun at all.”

“Actually, he’s quite a bit of fun,” Carles winked. “Sleep with attendings, not interns.”

“How about you don’t sleep with anyone in this hospital,” John suggested with an edge to his voice.

“You heard the chief,” Frank replied.

“What? Are you kidding?” Carles protested. “You two are married. You sleep together.”

“Not once,” John deadpanned and the other three laughed.

“Poor Frank,” Carles patted his hand. “How about nurses? It’s a long and proud tradition for doctors to sleep with nurses, right?”

“I’d rather you sleep with the interns,” John said as just last week he’d had a good nurse up and quit on him, and when he’d dug into the matter, he’d discovered that one of his residents had broken the girl’s heart. He’d put the HR department on alert just incase someone tried to sue them over it.

And the worst of it was, she had been one of John’s favorite scrub nurses.

Frank finally set down the chart he’d been looking at and glanced over at the intern in question who was now pointedly ignoring their table. “Which one is that?”

“Him?” Carles asked. “That’s Cesc Fabregas.”

“Cesc Fabregas?” Frank said, and after a moment the realization dawned on him. “Isn’t he the son of…”

“Yes,” John cut him off. “He is.”

“Son of who?” Dan asked as his pager beeped. “Dammit.”

“Not that same patient again?” John asked, switching back into chief of surgery mode.

“No,” Dan replied. “Motorcycle accident on it’s way in. No helmet.”

“Those idiots will actually never learn,” Carles said as he got up ask well. Usually they managed to break a few bones on their way across the pavement.

Half way to the door, his pager went off as well.

Dan called over to Cesc, “You want to come with?”

Cesc abandoned the rest of his lunch and ran after them.

Down in the ER, Dr. Ronaldo was already calling out orders to a crowd of nurses who were tending to the patient. Cesc wasn’t usually squeamish, but this guy was a mess.

“Dr. Agger?” Dr. Ronaldo called as Dan entered the room. He gave Dan a brief run down on the state of the patient. 

Cesc noticed Eden was already in the room, helping Dr. Ronaldo assess the damage. The focus in his eyes was total.

“”I need something to cut off the boots!” Eden requested and a nurse handed him a fairly serious looking pair of scissors.

“Fabregas, help him,” Dr. Ronaldo barked as Eden began to cut. 

For a moment Cesc was sure that Eden was going to protest that he didn't need any help, but he kept his mouth shut and stepped to one side so Cesc could get closer. between the two of them, they got the heavy motorcycle boots off without causing further damage to the patient.

“How are you doing up there?” Carles asked as he surveyed the arm which was going to need to be reset.

“He’s out cold and that gash is going to need some stitches, but I think the lucky bastard managed not to complete smash his brains in,” Dan said, not really pretending to be anything less than annoyed at the patient. He pushed back long hair and examined the man’s pupils again to see if there was any signs of concussion. “Can’t promise anything until I get a CT.”

“Okay,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he processed everything he was being told. “We need to get that CT and then straight to OR One. Eden, you’re scrubbing in. Cesc, find this guy’s family.”

With a frown, Cesc took the man’s wallet. Eden got to scrub in, the lucky bastard. He got to make a phone call and tell some poor mother her son was torn to shreds?

Flipping open the wallet, he saw the guy lived just outside of Barcelona city center, near the Camp Nou. Andy Carroll.

He stopped at the nurses’ station. Thankfully, it was Bojan sitting there, who had been really nice to Cesc so far. “Hi,” he said with a smile. “I’m supposed to call this guy’s family?”

“Lucky you,” Bojan said with a sympathetic look. “Here.” He took the wallet and did a few magical things on the computer.

“Looks like he lives with a girlfriend called Emma,” Bojan picked up the phone at his desk and dialed.

For a hopeful moment, Cesc thought that Bojan might be making the call for him, but as soon as it started to ring, he handed it over.

“What do I say?” Cesc asked in a sudden panic.

“Break it to her gently,” Bojan advised.

“Hello?”

“Uh…hello…is this Emma?” Cesc spluttered out.

“Yes,” replied a girl with a British accent. “If this is about a credit card, I’m not interested.”

“Uh…no…no,” Cesc said quickly. “I…do you know a man called Andy Carroll.”

“Yes? Did that fucker forget to pay a parking ticket again on that bloody bike of his? I’ll bloody break his neck.”

Funny you should say that, Cesc thought. “I’m sorry, Miss, but this is La Masia hospital. Your friend Andy has had an accident.”

There was a long pause.

“Miss?”

“Is he dead?”

“No, no he’s not. He’s here with some fairly severe injuries, but the doctors are with him now and…well….you should come.”

“Okay,” the woman said, the panic evident in her voice. “Fuck. I’m outside of town. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Drive safe!” Cesc added as the woman hung up and then realized that sounded really rather stupid.

He handed the phone back over to Bojan. “How did I do?”

“Not bad,” Bojan said with a smile.

“I think I’m sweating. I don’t like that talking to the family stuff.”

“Well, guess what?”

“What?”

“I get to page you when she gets here and you get to tell her how it’s going.”

Cesc groaned and Bojan started to laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 14240

Day Eight

However, by the time Emma arrived, Andy was in surgery and the prognosis was good. The CT scan had come back clear and Dr. Puyol had him in surgery to fix the broken arm and there were cracked ribs and any number of lacerations, but the idiot was going to be fine.

“You did good with that,” Dr. Ronaldo praised as they left Emma who’d arrived with a friend, in the waiting room. “Your bedside manner is excellent. We get a lot of interns who have no idea how to talk to people.”

“I can see that,” Cesc said as he’d known any number of people in medical school who could barely hold a social conversation with someone. “I got in trouble at school a lot for talking, so…”

Dr. Ronaldo laughed. “Let’s just hope you’re as good of a surgeon.”

“Cris, is Dr. Agger free?” Dr. Terry strode up to them.

“I believe so,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “I don’t think he’s scheduled again today.

“I need a consult,” Dr. Terry said. “I had him paged, but if you see him?”

“Of course,” Dr. Ronaldo replied.

Cesc watched Dr. Terry stride away and wondered again what the man knew about his father. He buried his nose in his iPad to avoid the thoughts, and saw a tab on his patient roster had disappeared.

“Hey,” he said, offering the pad to Dr. Ronaldo who frowned. “I lost a patient.”

Dr. Ronaldo looked at it, hating the fact that his job had turned into a degree of tech support rather than just medicine. At least most of interns knew how to use it. “Oh, Mr. Barton?”

“Yeah,” Cesc said. “Did I get taken off the case?”

“No, he died.”

“What?” Cesc all but shouted, and Dr. Ronaldo shut his mouth with a glare. 

“Died. It happens in a hospital.”

“But…what happened?” Cesc insisted.

Dr. Ronaldo clicked a different tab which gave information on deceased patients. “Apparently he went into cardiac arrest about an hour ago.”

Cesc had been worrying about talking to the family of the motorcyclist. “Should…I have been paged?”

Dr. Ronaldo shrugged. “You were on the case but not the lead doctor. Dr. Agger will have been paged. He should update you on the case later. Probably what Dr. Terry wants to talk to him about.”

“You have to talk to the chief when you lose a parent?” Cesc asked, thinking it sounded a bit like getting a telling off by the principal for throwing spit wads at school.

“No, not always,” Dr. Ronaldo told him. “There must be some kind of an issue. Something irregular or the family has complained.”

“Complained?”

Dr. Ronaldo gave Cesc a wry smile. “Someone always has to be at fault. People have unrealistic expectations of doctors some times. While it seems, often, we can perform miracles, there’s times where our best efforts aren’t enough.”

Cesc heard pain in Dr. Ronaldo’s voice. Losing a patient was horrible. Even when it wasn’t your fault. Even when you did everything you could. Cesc’s mind strayed to Mr. Barton. He’d been a cantankerous ass, but his poor wife.

“Don’t dwell,” Dr. Ronaldo ordered. “Go pick up those labs and if you have time, stop by the observation gallery. Dr Lampard’s bypass is going on and you’ll want to see that.”

Cesc nodded as he took back his iPad and headed to the lab. Had they missed something on Mr. Barton? Was there something they should have been aware of?

“You’re watching porn on that, aren’t you?” 

Cesc looked up, startled to see Leo standing at the window to the lab. “Oh, hey Leo.”

“What’s up?”

“We lost Mr. Barton,” Cesc said with a sigh.

“Aw, shit,” Leo said. “That sucks.”

“I know, right?” Cesc said as he glanced at the lab tech. “Hi. We have results on Mr. Carroll’s to screen?”

“Five minutes,” the tech replied and Cesc nodded.

“I think everything back there takes five minutes,” Leo muttered as he’d been told the same.

“Then they should be a lot more efficient than they seem to be,” Cesc replied, having heard other doctors complaining about slow labs. “Hey, how did your transplant go?”

“It was good,” Leo said. “All I got to do was watch, but, you know, right in there.”

“You’ll get involved soon,” Cesc encouraged him. “It is just our second day!”

“You got one the first day!” Leo replied. “How did you manage that?”

Yeah, Cesc thought and was thankfully that Leo’s labs were done before he had to answer that one. 

After he delivered the labs to Dr. Ronaldo, he realized he was bursting for the toilet and ducked down into the bathroom on the first floor. 

There was someone in the stall, and for a moment, Cesc was worried he was going to get caught, and realized that was insane. He was allowed to go to the bathroom. He knew that surgeons were expected to have iron bladders and survive long hours on their feet in the operating room, but he hadn’t gone in hours. 

As he finished, he was surprised to hear, “Cesc?”

“Uh…yes?” Cesc replied, looking down at his shoes and realizing that the red Converse were a bit obvious.

The stall door opened and Dan appeared, looking…upset.

“Hey, are you okay?” Cesc asked.

Dan took in a deep breath. “I’m alright.”

Cesc should have left it there. He should have shut up and gone back to washing his hands, but he couldn’t- he couldn’t leave Dan in such obvious pain and do nothing about it.

“It’s about Mr. Barton isn’t it? What did Dr. Terry say. I…we did everything we could…” Cesc reached out to Dan with his damp hands and Dan moved toward him. They embraced.

“The wife is questioning it. She thinks we must be at fault. Some times people just die, Cesc. We do everything we can and people just die. We’re not gods…”

Cesc held him tightly. Oh it felt so good to be in his arms. It was just the right place for him. It was safe.

“Are…are you sure?” Cesc asked quietly.

There was a pause. “I don’t know…”

“Come on,” Cesc pulled away. “In med school they were always having us review cases. Look at what was done and see if there was something else that could have been done. And some time there was and some times there wasn’t. Let’s go over it and we’ll see, okay?”

Dan nodded. “I hate it…I hate it when I question myself.”

“I know,” Cesc said. “You have to believe you can do this or you can never step into an OR.”

Dan smiled at him. “Hey, you’re supposed to be the intern and I’m the attending. I should be giving the pep talks when something goes wrong.”

“Shh,” Cesc grinned back. “We won’t tell any one.”

Dan gazed for a moment too long. “You know…there’s other things we can not tell anyone about.”

Cecs swallowed hard. Could they? Could he survive an internship and have Dan too? In hiding?

But then Dan leaned in and Cesc kissed him hard. For the first time in his life, he didn’t even care about his medical career any more. This might actually be more important to him.

It was over too quickly, but sense overcame desire as Dan pulled away. They were, after all, in a public restroom.

“Have dinner with me,” Dan asked.

“I…I can’t,” Cesc said painfully. “Leo and Cesar are moving in with me tonight. I have to get home and make sure their rooms are ready.”

“Roommates?” Dan asked with a groan. 

“I know!” Cesc said. “But they’re desperate and I have space.”

“Thankfully, I have my own flat.”

* * * *

After the autopsy, the lab reported that Mr. Barton had been taking some herbal medication his wife had gotten him and not reported to anyone in the pre-op survey, despite the fact that nurse pointedly asked the question about any kinds of vitamins or anything else which Mrs. Barton even admitted when presented with the results. The supplements had interacted with the anesthesia, which could have been prevented, and weakened the blood vessels which had caused both the cranial bleed and the heart attack which had killed him.

“Gah, why do people lie to their doctors,” Cesc grumbled as he helped Cesar carry up boxes from his car. Not only had Cesc agreed to let Cesar move in, apparently he also had to loan him his car. 

Cesc didn’t really mind. At lease Leo was going to turn up later with his brother and a truck. He’d been happy to have roommates last night, but now the thought that he’d had a chance to spend the evening with Dan made him regret ever agreeing to it.

“So, which room do you want?” Cesc asked as they walked down the corridor. “These two share that Jack-and-Jill bathroom, and that one doesn’t have any bathroom access.”

Cesar peered into Cesc’s bedroom which was the biggest with it’s own bathroom. “That one?”

“Uh, no,” Cesc grinned. “At least not for three hundred.”

“Four?” Cesar asked, though he didn’t mean it. He took the room farthest back and carried his things into it. It was nicely decorated. “You never did say what your dad did that he can afford to let you have this place.”

“Yeah,” Cesc agreed. “I should call Leo and tell him to pick up some take away.” He got out his phone and left the room. “I’ll get some more boxes.”

Cesar gave up and set the box on the floor, peering into the bathroom. It was good sized and clean. Shit, he couldn’t have gotten a crap place two hours from the hospital for three hundred.

As Cesc got back from leaving his car in the garage where his father paid for a space, Leo arrived with bags of tapas and his brother who was a lanky man who didn’t look much like Leo at all.

“Cesc, Cesar, this is my brother, Angel,” Leo said as he carried in the food and Angel carried in a massive box.

“Hi,” Cesc said. “You guys want beers?”

“I gotta get back,” Angel said as he dropped the box and turned around.

Leo made an apologetic face. “We have a few more loads,” he said as he followed his brother down.

“Unfriendly much?” Cesar muttered as he went to help. Cesc unpackaged the dinner, setting out boxes and finding plates and silverware. He couldn’t help sampling a bit as his mouth watered.

Leo’s brother brought up two more loads and disappeared, almost without saying goodbye to his brother.

“He didn’t want to come. I think he had plans with friends and my mum made him,” Leo apologized for the rudeness.

“I think you were wise to get out of the house,” Cesc agreed as they dug into the meal. “Thanks for this.”

“Hey, no worries,” Leo said.

“So, do any of us cook, or are we going to be living off of takeout?” Cesar wondered, not that he was actually complaining. He did like take-out.

“Don’t look at me,” Cesc said. “I set things on fire when I cook.”

“I better get a gym membership,” Cesar lamented his taut abs.

“There’s a gym in the building,” Cesc said. “The key to the flat opens it. It’s on the top floor with the pool.”

Leo gaped. “A pool and a gym?”

“So, that heart by-pass was awesome,” Cesc said quickly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 16002

Day Nine

Life for the interns fell into a hectic routine over the next week. Even Eden lost track of who had which surgeries as they all got a chance to scrub in every day and by the end of the second week, they’d all gotten to do several procedures on patients.

Cesc and Dan had gone out twice, both times ending up at Dan’s flat where they made love. Cesc had a dopey smile on his face when he got home each time, usually sneaking in so his roommates didn’t have any idea where he’d been.

“Who are you seeing?” Leo demanded as Cesc turned down coffee early one Friday morning as they prepared to head to the hospital.

“Just…a guy,” Cesc deflected.

“Does he have a name?” Leo pressed. Seriously. Two weeks in and Leo still hadn’t managed to ask Bojan out on a date though all of the interns agreed that the nurse was interested. Leo just couldn’t get the nerve up.

“Look,” Cesar said as he joined them in the kitchen, bare chested and drying his hair. “Let’s have a party here tonight. I think all five of our intern cohort aren’t on call tonight. The five of us, Leo can invite Bojan without the pressure of it being like and actual date and maybe we can get him laid.”

Leo’s eyes were wide. How did Cesar know what was on his mind?

“And you can bring your new boyfriend,” Cesar added.

“Oh,” Cesc said. “Uhm…I…uhm…”

Cesar rolled his eyes. “We all know it’s Dr. Agger.”

“You what?” Cesc demanded. “I mean…”

“It is?” Leo gaped.

Cesar laughed. “Oh Lionel. Pay attention! Cesc gets every good brain surgery. The two of them make eyes at each other during rounds. Oscar and I figured it out last week!”

“Oh shit,” Cesc groaned. “Does everyone know? Does Dr. Ronaldo know? He’s going to chuck me out of the program!”

“They can’t fire you for sex,” Cesar said. “As long as you’re not having sex at the hospital?” His eyes twinkled, ready for Cesc to crumble, but he got nothing.

“No, absolutely not,” Cesc said quickly. “God, how tacky is that.”

“Yeah, Cesar,” Leo said. “This isn’t a bad America doctor drama.”

“So, party? I’ll organize the drinks, you want to order some food?” he asked Cesc.

“Sure,” Cesc agreed. A party would be fun. But he was so not inviting Dan. No way, no how. Dan was on call tonight, anyway.

“What can I do?” Leo asked as he finished his coffee and looked at the clock.

“You get to invite Bojan.”

* * * *

By the end of the day, the entire hospital knew that the three were hosting a party and it seemed they assumed that everyone was invited.

“So, what time is this party?” Dan asked Cesc as they ran into each other in the corridor.

“Party?” Cesc asked.

“The one at your place,” Dan said. “Starts at nine?”

“Yes,” Cesc said. “I didn’t know…I thought you were on call…”

“I want to see your place,” Dan said. “Besides, I think we can be in the same room together and keep our hands to ourselves.”

Cesc glanced around and pulled Dan into and empty patient room. “The guys all figured it out. About us.”

“About how I’m falling madly in love with you?” Dan asked as he stole a kiss.

Cesc grinned. “Yes, and keep your hands to yourself. We’re at work.”

“Not until you agree to invite me to your party,” Dan wheedled as he cupped Cesc’s ass. 

“We shouldn’t…” Cesc tried even as Dan’s touches made it hard to think about anything.

“Invite me to your party before I have to ravish you on that bed, right there.”

“Come to the party!” Cesc gasped as Dan’s hand wriggled into Cesc’s scrubs.

Dan removed his hand and Cesc sighed in disappointment. “Damn, this might have been more fun.”

Cesc took a shaky breath as he gazed at Dan’s face. “Maybe…you could come early.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” Dan asked even as he longed for it. “Your guest show up and you’re glowing with sex?”

Cesc moaned. “Shit. Why did I agree to this party?”

“You thought I had to work,” Dan said. “I switched weekend shifts with Carles. His mom wanted to take him to dinner Saturday night so he’s taking tonight and I’m doing Saturday since I knew you had to work then, too.”

Cesc wound his fingers into Dan’s. “You were thinking of me.”

“I’m always thinking of you.”

* * * *

“The interns are having a party,” Frank commented to John as they met at the nurse’s station at the end of the day. Frank had a patient he needed to look in on and then the two were headed out to dinner.

“I know. Remember when we used to have parties?”

“I remember waking up in a puddle of vomit,” Frank made a face and John laughed. 

“Was that the night Didier made you do all those tequila shots?” John laughed as he remembered their good friend from their internship.

“Yes, the bastard was drinking tea and pouring me straight Jose Cuervo,” Frank laughed. “Ah, I don’t miss being an intern.”

“No,” John shook his head. “Not even a little bit.” Especially when John had nearly thrown away his relationship with Frank over a stupid affair with their resident. 

Cesc’s dad.

Frank saw the darkness cross John’s face. “Its weird having Cesc here, isn’t it?”

“I know,” John agreed. “I didn’t even realize it was him when I reviewed the applications. I hadn’t realized he was using his mother’s name.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure he even talks to his dad, really,” Frank said. “He’s still in Geneva, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, last I heard,” John said. “Glad to see Cesc has inherited the family talent. That kid will make an excellent surgeon some day.”

“Good,” Frank said. “The kid’s not had it easy.”

“No,” John said. “He certainly hasn’t.”

* * * *

“I just got a text from Eden,” Cesar said as he carried in a box of liquor, “he’d gotten in on an emergency surgery with Dr. Puyol. He says he’ll try to stop by after.”

Leo took the box off of him and waved at Oscar who’d followed Cesar in the flat. “Does he hang out in the Emergency Room, waiting for people to come in and need surgery?”

“I think that’s exactly what he does,” Oscar replied as he set two cases of beer on the counter. “How many people are we expecting?”

“I have no idea,” Cesar said. “But I started telling people to bring a bottle of something if they were coming. I’m not paying for drinks for the whole surgical floor.”

“Bojan said he’s definitely coming,” Leo said with a smile. Thankfully, he’d avoided Bojan all morning out of nerves and by the time he finally ran into the nurse, he’d already heard about the party and was excited to come.

“Did you change your sheets?” Cesar asked.

“Did I…what?” Leo asked.

Oscar burst out laughing. “Sheets, man. You can’t lure a hot nurse to your bedroom to check out your collection of Star Trek novels if you don’t have clean sheets on the bed!”

“I don’t have Star Trek novels!” Leo protested.

“What do you have in there?” Cesar asked, only having gotten a glimpse of the room which was kind of a mess from his end of the bathroom.

“Nothing!” Leo said. 

“Change the sheets, son,” Oscar advised and Leo went to do his bidding.

“You know we have clean ones,” Cesar said. “Do you know that Cesc has the laundry sent out? He told us if we leave it in a basket by the door the cleaning lady who comes once a week will send it to be cleaned and have it back by the end of the day.”

“Fucking hell,” Oscar said. “And I thought hoping my girlfriend would do it if she ever came to visit was a bad enough.”

“She’s still refusing to come to Barcelona?” Cesar asked sympathetically, knowing that Oscar was unhappy with the state of his his relationship.

“Still,” Oscar sighed. “And she doesn’t get that I can’t just take off and come and see her. This isn’t like most jobs where you work 9-5 and can take off early on a Friday to head out of town. Even when we’re not at work we’re on call half the time!” 

“Preaching to the choir, here,” Cesar said. 

“I know,” Oscar sighed as he opened one of the bottles of beer and handed it to Cesar before getting a second out for himself. “I just…I don’t know what she expects of me. It’s like she wants me to give up my dreams and just be her boyfriend she can take out on show. “Look! I’m dating a doctor!”

“I bet her parents love you,” Cesar said with a cheeky grin.

“Parents always love me,” Oscar chuckled. “Everyone wants their kid to marry a doctor.”

“Do your parents want you to marry a doctor or is being a doctor good enough?” Cesar wondered and the two started to laugh.

“That’s pressure! Be a doctor AND marry one!”

“Everyone would have to be doctors to make their parents happy!”

Leo emerged from the room with a laundry basket full of dirty clothes. “You two are a couple of nut cases. I’m going to hide all this stuff in the storage room.”

“You can’t,” Cesar said as he took a drink. “Because I jammed all of my crap in there.”

 

“Cesar!” Leo protested. “What am I supposed to do with all this?”

“Bathtub,” Oscar advised. “Close the curtain, no one is the wiser.”

“Good call,” Cesar offered his bottle to Oscar who clinked it against his own.

“So, we can get Leo laid tonight, who had you got your eye on?” Oscar asked.

Cesar shrugged. “Who knows. I’m sure one of Bojan’s nurse friends will be up for it.”

Oscar chuckled. “If all else fails, screw the nurses. Hey, where’s Cesc?”

“He snuck out after our shift to go have sex with Dan, hoping we don’t notice when he turns up later with JBF hair.”

“JBF?”

“Just been fucked,” Cesar grinned as the door buzzer sounded and he went to let the first crowd of guests in. “I just hope he doesn’t forget the food.”

“We could send down to Guti’s for some pizza.”

“And have Guti mad at us that we threw a party instead of going to his place?”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 17659

Day Ten

Cesc and Dan did turn up at about 9:30, laden down with the promised food. Perhaps if they had gotten there a bit sooner, people might not already have been on their second or third drink before they started eating. But then again, maybe things wouldn’t have been quite as entertaining.

“Cesc!” Cesar greeted him with a big hug nearly causing his roommate to drop a bag he was carrying. “And Dr. Agger!” 

“Someone’s already drunk,” Cesc muttered to Dan who laughed. 

“What did you bring us?” Cesar asked as he laid claim to one of the bags and began to riffle through. “Oh, man, THEY BROUGHT BARBECUE CHIPS.”

A roar went up from the crowd of at least thirty people, all milling around the space with drinks in hand. 

Cesc and Dan carried the bags of food to the kitchen space of the open plan living area and couldn’t find any counter space to set down the food. Every space seemed to be covered with liquor bottles, bottles of mixers, or tubs of ice filled with beer. There was also an impressive collection of empties beginning to pile up.

“When Cesar said we should have a party, I envisioned perhaps that we would have a dozen or so people over for drinks and maybe a little Cards Against Humanity,” Cesc frowned as he and Dan made some space. He was nearly shouting to be heard over the music that had been cranked up on the stereo system.

“The neighbors might complain,” Dan said, but he was grinning. “What’s your poison?”

“I better start with some Jack Daniels,” Cesc said as he filled two tumblers with ice and handed them over to Dan. He found the remote for the stereo and turned the thumping base down a couple of decibels.

“CESC!” Leo said as he arrived in the kitchen.

“LEO,” Cesc replied.

“Bojan is here,” Leo said in a stage whisper.

“Why aren’t you talking to him?” Cesc whispered back as he took the glass Dan offered him and took a healthy sip.

“I don’t know,” Leo replied. 

“Take him a beer,” Dan advised as he handed two cold ones to Leo who looked at Dan like he’d given him the secret to the universe.

“I could take him a BEER.”

“Yes you could,” Cesc tried not to laugh, but failed. Fortunately, Leo didn’t seem to notice as he took the bottles and headed for Bojan.

“We did show up too late, didn’t we?” Dan chuckled as he sipped his whiskey.

“Way, way too late,” Cesc agreed.

“Wanna go back to your room and make out?” Dan asked as he eyed Cesc lustfully.

“We just spent two hours at your flat,” Cesc chuckled. “And we should wait for everyone to be really drunk so no one notices us disappear.”

“I think you could get naked and dance on the counter and no one notice right about now.”

Cesc grinned, but he took Dan’s hand and led him over to where Cesar and Oscar were having an intense debate in that way you only argued about things when everyone was drunk.

“Well, sure Chelsea has the talent, but do they really have the drive to take it all the way to the Champion’s League final?” Cesar was questioning. “I think Bayern will destroy them.”

“But they beat Bayern in 2012!” Oscar argued, “with a lot less talented squad and now they have Mourinho back. They’re going to kill it.”

“In 2012 they had something to prove. No one thought they were any good at all. Now they’re just a bunch of talented players with nothing to prove.”

“Whatever! Cesc, what do you think?” Oscar drew him into the debate.

“I like Barcelona,” Cesc said.

“Whatever!” Cesar laughed. “We’re having a serious conversation about the Champion’s League.”

“Barcelona are good!” Cesc said. “Dan, tell them.”

“Don’t look at me, I’m a Liverpool fan.”

“WHAT?”

Dan laughed and the conversation went on. In the end, no one could be convinced of anything, but then again, no one ever agreed when it came to football.

“Finally!” Cesar announced as he looked over to see Leo and Bojan making out on the couch.

Everyone turned to look as it appeared Leo was trying to lick Bojan’s tonsils out.

“Who wants to suggest they get a room?” Oscar asked, more turned on than he’d like to admit at the sight of his friends getting it on. God, how long had it been since he’d gotten any? His girlfriend had been turning him away ever since he announced he was going to Barcelona. He half wondered why they even pretended they were still dating any more.

In truth, he knew it was over. Knew she was never coming to Barcelona. Knew he was never going back to Madrid. Not now. She’d made him choose: her or his career, and it was clear he’d made his choice.

No, he needed to just admit it was over. That he needed a partner in his life who understood what the demands of the career were and wouldn’t ask him to make stupid choices that didn’t benefit either of them.

Like Cesc had found Dan. Look at the two of them, making eyes at each other, dying to touch each other. Understanding each other and their commitments.

“Whoo! Go Leo!” Cesar called out as Bojan was now dragging Leo to the back. A door slammed.

“Wait,” Cesar said. “I think they went in my room!”

He leapt to his feet. Not that he had any real reason to go to his own room for sexy fun times. Fuck he needed to get laid.

When he arrived in the corridor, he realized that indeed Leo had managed to find his own room, but that on his bed, was a couple making out.

“NO!” Cesar said. “My bed! Off!”

The pair of nurses sprang apart, two flush faced kids who had the decency to look ashamed.

“Spare room across the hall,” Cesar pointed.

The girl took the boy’s hand and they scampered away, neither able to make eye contact with him.

“Remind me to lock the door before the next party,” Cesar muttered to himself as he straightened his duvet cover.

“Nice room.”

Cesar looked up and saw Oscar standing in the doorway. He had two bottles of beer in his hands and he took a step in.

“Yeah, it’s Cesc’s dad’s place, I guess. I’m playing stupid cheap rent to stay here.”

“Huh,” Oscar said as he strode in, letting the door close half way as he crossed to Cesar and offered him the beer. “I should have gotten in on this. I’m sharing a three bedroom a couple miles from here that isn’t nearly this nice.”

“He has another spare room, but I think you’d have to use the hall bathroom.”

“I share a bathroom with two guys who don’t really get the concept of aiming when peeing.”

Cesar made a face as Oscar dropped down onto the bed, wrinkling the duvet he’d just straightened.

Cesar didn’t think he minded so much.

“Talk to Cesc,” Cesar encouraged as he sat down about a foot from Oscar. “I don’t think he’d mind another roommate. He’s never here anyway since he’s with Dan.”

“So,” Oscar said as he turned to look at Cesar. “How do you think Dr. Ronaldo is going to react when he finds out about that?”

“You mean before or after he has Cesc killed?” Cesar teased. Oscar was so adorable. That boyish face that looked like he was nowhere near old enough to be out of med school, let alone be cutting people open. No, he looked like he should be finishing high school. His fingers itched to reached out to him, but he knew Oscar had a girlfriend. 

He picked at the label of the beer bottle instead.

“He’s not going to be happy is he?” Oscar mused as he looked away. Staring at his hands, he went on. “He’d probably be totally pissed off about Leo and Bojan as well. I don’t suppose Dr. Ronaldo ever has sex, does he?”

“He’s got a kid, certainly he did it once,” Cesar said as the whole label came off in his hand. He folded it into a little square. Why was Oscar sitting here talking to him about sex if he wasn’t thinking what Cesar was thinking.

“You don’t know,” Oscar said. “Maybe he paid someone to have a kid for him.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Cesar said. “The best part of having a kid is making it.”

Oscar chuckled. “That is a fun part.”

Cesar looked up and Oscar was looking at him. He would wait, he would wait for Oscar to make a move. He was not going to be the one who…

But even as he told himself he couldn’t, Oscar leaned in, and Cesar met him halfway.

* * * *

“Mmm, are we allowed to take this to the back room?” Cesc asked as he sat half in Dan’s lap, thoughts loosened by alcohol.

“Both of your roommates are in the back,” Dan said as he kissed Cesc’s neck, knowing full well that he really, really ought to not be doing this here, now, but utterly unable to stop himself. “It might be rude for you to wander off as well.”

“I don’t think anyone here needs us,” Cesc countered, and it did indeed seem that the guests were well taken care of: drinking, dancing, fondling in every corner of the flat.

“Probably not,” Dan said as he pushed Cesc off of his lap. Cesc got unsteadily to his feet and reached a hand down to take Dan’s. As he pulled him off of the couch, the front door opened.

“What the hell are all of these people doing in my house!?!”

Cesc’s eyes bugged out as he saw the man in the door.

“Dad?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 20003

Day 11

“Francesc Mourinho Fabregas, what the hell is going on here?”

“Isn’t that Jose Mourinho?” Dan asked as he gaped at the figure in the door. A figure who was more legend than man.

“Dad,” Cesc said as he pulled away from Dan. “It’s just…a party.”

“When I told you that you could live in this flat I thought you understood that live here meant respect my home!”

Someone shut off the stereo and an eerie silence fell over the room.

“I…” Cesc struggled. Of course he knew his father would be livid if he knew, but the last thing he expected was to see his father turning up on his door step. Even if it was really his father’s doorstep. “I’m sorry.”

“I want everyone out of this flat. Now.”

The party goers went without a word of protest. However, over the shuffling feet, you could hear that…something was going on in the back rooms.

Cesc closed his eyes. “Just a second,” he said and then ran to the back corridor. 

Dan was left standing, staring at Jose Mourinho. World renowned brain surgeon, Jose Mourinho. He’d seen the man speak at medical conferences. Dan had read all of his articles. Every last one. The man was a literal genius.

He’d known Jose was coming to town to consult on a rare neuro case he’d had come in last week, but he’d had no idea the man was Cesc’s father.

And here Dan was, standing in his sitting room, a hard-on in his jeans and Jose’s son running to tell his roommates to keep the sex down.

“Dr. Daniel Agger?” Jose said after regarding him for a moment.

“Yes, Sir?” Dan said and was shocked that Dr. Mourinho knew his name.

“Head of Neurosurgery at La Masia?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Why are you still in my flat?”

Dan felt like a five year old getting a telling off for eating too much candy. “Sir, I’m a friend of your son…Cesc.”

“Yes, I know my son is called Cesc. Why are you still here?”

“Because…”

“Because he’s my boyfriend and I want him here,” Cesc said, having retrieved his back bone after warning his flatmates of his father’s presence. “You said I could use this flat for my internship. You didn’t say I wasn’t allowed to have visitors.”

“Cesc, we need to talk,” Jose said. “Privately.”

“I can go,” Dan said as he looked at Cesc to see what he wanted.

What he wanted was for Dan to stay, for his father not to be here, but those weren’t really options of his any more. “Call me?”

“Of course,” Dan said with a sympathetic smile. He didn’t know much about Cesc’s dad at all, well, not about Cesc and his dad but to know the relationship was strained.

And now that he was Jose Mourinho.

Jose was between him and Cesc, so Dan ducked around the back of him and let himself out of the door.

“Who’s in the back?” Jose asked bluntly.

“My roommates,” Cesc said. “They live here and you can’t ask them to leave.”

“You have roommates?” Jose asked. His handsome features were still creased in a frown. He hadn’t aged a day since the last time Cesc had seen him over two years ago.

“Cesar and Leo,” Cesc supplied as he glanced at the kitchen and realized what a total mess it was. “They’re both interns in my program and they needed a place to live.”

“As long as they’re not distracting you from your studies,” Jose said which was about as close to approval as Cesc was going to get out of the man today.

“No,” Cesc said firmly. God, why did he think everything was a distraction? You could have a life and go to med school, too, dammit. He started clearing up the mess in the kitchen, piling empty cartons of food into trash bags and empty bottles into the recycling bin.

“I’m back in Barcelona for a few weeks to consult on a case at La Masia. I was hoping I could stay here. In my flat.”

“You could have called,” Cesc mentioned even as he didn’t make eye contact with his dad. What the heck had someone done to these buffalo wings. No, he didn’t actually want to know. “The the fourth bedroom isn’t being used.”

Jose didn’t answer for a moment as he regarded his son. Yes, he knew he was late getting in. In all honesty, he’d been hoping Cesc would still be at the hospital. When he was an intern, they did’t have time to be throwing wild parties. Or having affairs with residents. What was Cesc even thinking.

But as usual, his son wasn’t thinking at all. No, Cesc was a reactionary person. If he would just take the time to think before he acted then so many of these things could be avoided.

“I’ll stay in a hotel,” Jose said. “Would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow evening?”

“I’m on call,” Cesc deflected. No he didn’t want to have a dinner with his father. Quite frankly he could do without an evening spent detailing all his failures.

“Surely you can take an hour or two for dinner if you’re not seeing to a patient.” Jose’s gaze left no room for argument.

Someone Cesc suspected he would use his sway within the hospital to make sure that he didn’t have any patients to be seeing to tomorrow evening. Maybe he could talk Dan into letting him scrub in on a very, very, very long and complicated brain surgery tomorrow evening. Something that could take twelve hours at the very least.

“Okay,” Cesc agreed.

“I’m not the enemy, Cesc. No matter what you may have imagined me to be in the past, I am your father and I do want what’s best for you.”

Best for Cesc, he wondered, or best for Jose?

* * * *

Cesar arose at god-awful o’clock in the morning, feeling like his brain was attempting to escape from his skull. With a groan, he rolled over and saw it was just after five. He had an hour to become human again before he had to be at the hospital.

Oscar was gone. Cesar had no idea what time his fellow intern had left, having been long passed out by that point. He closed his eyes and struggled to remember exactly what had passed between them. More than should have, he supposed, considering that Oscar had a girlfriend, but not enough, not really.

If Cesar had learned nothing else in med school, it was that hydration was the key to avoiding and treating a hang over. It was a damn shame he never seemed to adhere to that advice. He stumbled out to find a spotless kitchen and Cesc sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.

Cesar frowned at him. “You’re up early.”

“Never went to sleep,” Cesc said, the dark circles under his eyes telling the truth of these statement.

In a flash, Cesar remembered. “Your dad.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to move out,” Cesc said. “He’s not elated about the fact that you’re here, but he didn’t say you have to move out.”

Cesar filled a glass with water from the tap and gazed at Cesc as he drank it. When he was done, he said, “So what’s with your old man? You’re beyond secretive about him and then he just shows up.”

Cesc sighed. “My dad is Jose Mourinho.”

Cesar’s mouth fell open in surprise. “The Jose Mourinho? You dad is THE Jose Mourinho? Jose Mourinho who refined the science of neurosurgery?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as he attempted not to roll his eyes as his friend and roommate fanboyed over his father. “Do you get why I didn’t tell anyone?”

Cesc refilled the glass. “Yeah, man, I guess so,” he said with a shrug. “That’s got to be pressure.”

“I guess,” Cesc said. “Mostly I get tired of everyone assuming I get a break because of who my dad is. That I don’t actually have to work twice as hard to prove myself because of who my father is. No one can see past the name.”

“I suppose. So what does he want?”

“He’s here consulting on a case, he said.

“So he’ll be at the hospital later.”

“Yes.”

“Man.”

“I know.”

* * * *

“I hear your party had a surprise guest,” Eden said, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He’d ended up at the hospital all night, assisting on two emergency surgeries following car accidents. He was working on no sleep, but he was wide awake. He was also enjoying the fact that the four other interns looked half dead.

“Indeed,” Cesc said as he avoided looking at Eden who invited himself to sit next to Cesc any way as he dug into his locker for his stethoscope.

“Morning,” Oscar said to Cesar with half a smile.

Cesar spied him for a moment, and realized that there was no regret in Oscar’s eyes. “Hi.”

“Sorry I…left,” Oscar said. “But I needed to get my head on straight, you know?”

“Yeah,” Cesar said. “Look…”

“I’m telling her,” Oscar said quickly. “I’m telling her it’s over.”

Cesar’s eyes widened. 

“No…I mean…,” Oscar glanced at the other three who weren’t paying any attention. “I enjoyed last night. And…it was just fun, you know?”

Cesar nodded. It had been. “We can…you know, do it again.”

“Absolutely,” Oscar beamed. “But I have to tell her first, okay?”

“Okay.”

Eden got nothing out of Cesc, so he turned his attention to Leo. “So. How’d it go with the hot nurse?”

“Fine,” Leo said as he started to blush all the way to the roots of his hair.

“Fine,” Cesar groaned. “They were at it ALL NIGHT. He left Bojan asleep in the bed.”

“He didn’t have to work today,” Leo said with what was almost a giggle.

“He’s leaving his used nurses in my flat,” Cesc said as he shook his head. “I just hope my father doesn’t stop by later.”

“Suppose we’ll run into him today?” Cesar asked as the five all piled out of the locker room and headed for the nurses’ station to pick up the first charts of the day.

But as the words were hardly out of his mouth, they nearly ran into Dr. Mourinho who was standing at said nurses’s station with a cup of coffee in his hand talking to Dr. Terry.

“Speak of the devil,” Cesar muttered.

“Ah, here are my interns,” Dr. Terry said with a smile. “How was the party lads? Wait, don’t tell me.” He gave Dr. Mourinho a knowing look. “Apparently the lads had a bit of a get together last night.”

“So I heard,” Dr. Mourinho said, his eyes fixating on his son who refused to look up at him. “I suppose we had a few wild nights back when we were interns.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Dr. Terry laughed at his own joke and clapped a hand on Dr. Mourinho’s back. “Interns, I’m sure you know Dr. Jose Mourinho. He’s here to assist on a groundbreaking surgery with Dr. Agger. Once you finish with your rounds, we’ll all meet in room 217 for a briefing with the patient.”

Cesc hid at the back of the pack of interns, having no desire to have a conversation with his father before it was absolutely necessary. He snatched his iPad off of the charger and logged in, scanning his patient list.

“He’s kinda scary,” Cesar whispered to him as Cesc headed up the hallway.

“Kinda?” Leo replied, on their heels. “He eats interns for lunch, doesn’t he?”

“At least he’s not your father,” Cesc said as he tried to focus on the information in front of him. Patient with pancreatic cancer, stable, vitals good, would be ready for surgery on schedule…

“Cesc.”

Cesc looked up and saw Dan standing in the door of one of the patient rooms. “Hey,” Cesc replied with a smile. Dan. Dan was what he needed to see today.

Leo and Cesar moved on down the corridor to check on their patients before rounds.

“How are you?” Dan asked as he searched Cesc’s face. 

“Okay,” Cesc shrugged as he looked away. “He’s here to work with you? You knew he was coming?”

“Cesc, I had no idea he was your father. You never told me,” Dan reminded him gently. “You know I would have said something had I known.”

Cesc knew that this was true, he did trust that Dan wouldn’t lie to him, but it still stung. “Did Dr. Terry know?”

“Yes,” Dan said. “He’s the one who suggested we call him in on the case.”

Cesc supposed this was true. Knew his father knew Dr. Terry. Never wanted to ask the question about whether or not his father had anything to do with him getting the elite spot at La Masia.

“Are you okay?” Dan asked as he touched Cesc’s arm. He wanted nothing more than to pull Cesc toward him, to hold him until all the unsureness went away. Knowing he couldn’t, not right here, not right now.

Cesc took a deep breath. “My dad and my boyfriend are about to consult on a major brain surgery, how would you feel?”

“Well, the dad of my boyfriend is about to come and hang over my shoulder while I do an incredibly difficult and rare procedure, so maybe I have a clue.” Dan smiled.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Cesc beamed at him.

“Yeah.”

“If you two are done making goo-goo eyes at each other on the surgical floor, would it be possible for me to have my intern for rounds?”

Cesc’s head snapped to see a rather annoyed looking Dr. Ronaldo glaring at the both of them.

This day just got better and better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 22005

A/N - Oscar’s last name is Emboaba - I’m telling you that simply because I had to Google it, lol

Day 12

The interns hovered near the edge of the patient room as Dr. Jose Mourinho stood at the patient’s bedside with Dr. Daniel Agger on the other. The patient was a middle aged woman who had what many considered an inoperable brain tumor. However, Dr. Mourinho had tackled a similar one successfully about a year ago at his clinic in Geneva, and Dr. Agger had called him in, hoping the procedure could be replicated.

As Dan presented the case, Cesc stood in awe of his presence. Dan had such a self confidence in his work that left Cesc mesmerized. He’d seen glimpses of it before when he’d worked with Dan on a couple of cases in the past weeks, but this was on a whole new level.

“Your boyfriend is hot,” Cesar muttered.

“His boyfriend?” Eden countered, “his dad.”

Dr. Ronaldo gave them all a glare that shut them up and Cesc refocused his attention on the presentation. He really was interested in this procedure. The things that could be accomplished when you looked at a medical situation from an entirely different angle were amazing.

What his father had developed was a plan that tackled the brain tumor from several angles, using advanced imagery techniques to give them a better picture of exactly where the tumor was located so it could be fully removed without causing extensive damage to the brain.

It was inspired work his father was doing. Cesc had never really paid much attention to exactly what his father worked on. He’d tried to block it out. But since working with Dan on a few cases, Cesc realized that he could easily specialize in the area.

But as he pondered this, his father caught his eye, and disapproval radiated from the man. What was Cesc even thinking? Why would he put himself through that kind of hell, working in a field where his father was the recognized expert, for every held up to a standard of…

His pager went off at about the same moment Dr. Ronaldo’s did. He glanced down at it and saw that is was for the pediatric ward. Cesc took off after Dr. Ronaldo at a run.

“Is it CJ?” Cesc asked as he struggled to keep up with the panicked father.

“Yes,” Dr. Ronaldo replied as he burst into the ward, and found his nanny looking distraught at the bedside of the unconscious little boy.

“Cris! I…you know he had that slight fever this morning, but he was fine! And he went to take his nap and when I checked on him, I couldn’t wake him up!”

“Lola, it’s okay,” Dr. Ronaldo consoled the woman even as he moved to the bedside of the child who was being looked over by a doctor Cesc didn’t know, yet. He was an attractive man with golden hair.

“What do you think, Dr. Ramos?” Dr. Ronaldo asked with more patience than Cesc would have possessed had his child been lying there unconscious. His little face was flushed under his dark curls.

“His heart beat is not as strong as it usually is. I think we may have an infection to the lining of his heart,” Dr. Ramos said as he listened again. “Nurse, we need to start an IV of antibiotics and fluids, he’s likely dehydrated as well.”

“He didn’t want his breakfast,” Lola said. “I texted you, he wanted to lie down and…”

“Lola, you did everything right,” Dr. Ronaldo soothed the panicked woman. He’d hired her with CJ was a baby as she was a registered nurse, and she’d cared for the boy his whole life. “Why don’t you go to the desk and make sure the forms are filled out while Dr. Ramos and I take CJ for some tests. Dr. Fabregas, will you help her?”

“Sure,” Cesc said as he nodded to Lola and led her to the nurses’s station for the pediatric ward.

“It’s so not fair. That little boy has been put through so much,” Lola said, her eyes teary as she accepted the clipboard that the nurse handed across.

“He seems to be a tough little kid,” Cesc said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“Oh, he just has to be. Cristiano has been raising that little angel all by himself. He nearly lost his job when CJ was so sick as a baby because he had to take so much time off. For people who work in a hospital, they weren’t very sympathetic to the father of a sick little boy.” Lola held the clipboard but didn’t start filling anything out.

“Was that here at La Masia?” Cesc asked, slightly alarmed that might be the case.

“No, no no,” Lola shook her head. “He did his internship in England, at a hospital in Manchester. After all the stress they gave him over the days off, when he found out Dr. Ramos was doing such good work here with kids with heart conditions, we moved to Spain. After talking with Dr. Mourinho, he got his internship switched and he’d been here ever since. They are such good people here.”

“Dr. Mourinho got Dr. Ronaldo his internship here?”

“Oh yes,” Lola said. “He is such a good man. Do you know him?”

“Uh…yeah,” Cesc said vaguely. “He’s here right now, consulting on a case.”

“Is he?” Lola lit up. “Oh, Dr. Ronaldo was so upset when he left La Masia, but they offered him that amazing job over there in Geneva. I mean, how many other doctors get to create their own neurosurgery center with basically unlimited funds?”

“Not many,” Cesc said vaguely, his knowledge of his father not able to connect with the man Lola was gushing over. “You better fill out that paperwork so you can see CJ as soon as they get done with the tests,” he said, more to stop the flow of praise toward his father than anything.

That was information he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with.

* * * *

“Cesc?”

“Shhh,” Cesc said as he sat in the corner of the patient’s room, his lunch tray on his lap.

“What are you doing?” Leo asked as he glanced at the old man, asleep on the bed. “Who is that?”

“Some really old guy, in a semi coma for like a year,” Cesc said. 

“Okay, so why are you eating lunch here?” Leo asked as he carried in his own sandwich and drink.”

“I’m hiding,” Cesc said as Leo took a seat next to him in one of the visitor’s chairs.

“From your dad?” Leo said. “He seems alright.”

Cesc gave him a look. “He’s alright if he’s not your dad.”

“Fair enough,” Leo allowed. “Where did you get tater tots?”

“Dan flirts with the cook and now that she’s realized I’m a friend of his, I get tater tots,” he offered the tray to Leo who took a handful.

“If you want to get anywhere in this hospital, talk to the nurses and the lunch ladies,” Leo said as he munched down on the greasy bits of potatoes. “How’s Dr. Ronaldo’s son?”

“They got the fever down and he seems to be responding to the antibiotics. The kid’s a fighter so he should be okay,” Cesc said with a confidence he didn’t really feel. The tests had indeed revealed an infection to the heart. They seemed to have caught it in time before it started causing any real damage to the boy’s already weak heart.

“Kids are tough,” Leo agreed. “They can out-grow these heart conditions?”

“Not usually, no,” Cesc said with a sigh. “They can live full lives, but the condition usually requires regular monitoring by medical professionally their whole lives.”

Leo sighed and took a bite of his sandwich. He supposed this explained a lot about Dr. Ronaldo. Having a sick child was enough to put anyone on edge.

“It’s nice in here,” Leo said after a moment, enjoying the quiet.

“I know,” Cesc said. “Really old guy makes a great escape from the world.”

As if to prove both of them wrong, their pagers went off, forcing them to abandon their lunches and race to the Emergency Room.

“We’ve got a bus crash, people, multiple victims, first ambulances should be arriving here in the next ten minutes.” They were met at the door by Bojan who was sending people in various directions.

“A bus?” Cesc asked. “School bus?”

“City bus. Had an argument with a hillside. Hillside won,” Bojan reported, a little too excited by all of the commotion. “Updated the tabs on your iPad.”

“You’re a little sick,” Cesc told him even as Leo was giving him a stupid smile. Cesc elbowed him and Leo dropped the smile, checking out his iPad. 

“Dr. Messi likes it,” Bojan teased as he disappeared into a room.

“Messi, Fabregas, Dave,” Dr. Terry called out from the far end of the Emergency Room. “All three of you with me to meet the ambulances. Emboaba, Hazard, you stay here and triage.”

“Dave?” Cesc asked with a confused look as he dropped his iPad at a charging station and jogged over to Dr. Terry.

“He can’t pronounce Azpilicueta,” Cesar said as he joined them. “He thinks he’s hilarious, apparently.”

They busied themselves covering their scrubs with disposable gowns as things tended to get a little messy with vehicle accident victims. As Leo had discovered the other day, there were worse things to get on your shoes than puke.

The three interns hovered in the door as an ambulance screamed up. The driver pulled to a halt in front of them as Dr. Terry reached for the door. He swung it open as the driver joined him.

“We have a twenty-seven year old male- “ the EMT continued rattling off stats, but all Cesc could do was stare as he saw the piece of glass embedded in the man’s head, right between his eyebrows.

“Holy shit,” Cesc muttered as he zoned back in on the EMT’s information.

“Am I going to be okay?”

Cesc met the eyes of the patient. He had a freaking glass shard stuck in his head and he was alert?

“What’s your name?” Dr. Terry asked as he looked at the man.

“Pepe,” the man replied.

“Pepe, we’re going to do everything we can for you,” Dr. Terry said kindly, but then his eyes flicked up to Cesc. “Page Dr. Agger immediately and see that OR two is readied.”

“Iker!” Pepe said suddenly. “My husband Iker was on the bus. Where’s Iker?”

“As soon as we know anything, I will let you know, I promise,” Cesc said solemnly.

Dr. Terry nodded his approval as Cesc took off to page Dan.

The next ambulance arrived and Cesar looked at Leo. “Are we supposed to take this?”

“We’re interns!” Leo squeaked as the ambulance pulled to a stop.

However, as the doors opened, Dr. Lampard appeared just in time to save them from having to make a decision.

“Twenty-five year old female, unrestrained in the accident, has a compound fracture to the left tibia and fibula, minor other contusions, vitals are stable.”

The woman’s face was contorted in pain. Leo could certainly understand why. “Should I page Dr. Puyol?”

“Yes, Dr. Messi,” Dr. Lampard said. “Dave, get her into a trauma room and get her some medicine for the pain.”

“Of course,” Cesar said as he followed the EMT into the hospital. 

Oscar was hovering, looking for someone to help, but when he saw the woman on the gurney, his face went completely white.

“Ludmila?”

“Oscar? Oscar, baby, is that you?”

The EMT looked at Oscar questioningly.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Oscar said as he chased after them to the trauma room. “Ludy, what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you, you idiot,” she said, teeth clenched through the pain. “You didn’t want to come to Madrid so I thought I’d surprise you!”

“Oh Ludy,” Oscar said as he took her hand. “They have the best doctors in Europe here, you’re going to be just fine.”

“I can see my leg bones.”

“And they’re lovely,” Oscar tried to be encouraging.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 24042

Day 13

“Well, that doesn’t look good,” Dr. Agger said as he arrived in the MRI room to see Pepe with the shard of glass sticking out of his forehead.

“He’s awake and alert,” Cesc said as Dan looked over the screen. His father had walked in with Dan and now stood, looking over his shoulder.

“That is one lucky man,” Jose said as he examined it. 

“It appears to have embedded right between the hemispheres of his brain,” Dan confirmed. “See here, Cesc, how it doesn’t seem to have impacted the brain function at all.”

“Wow,” Cesc said. “Can you just pull it out?”

“The man has a shard of glass in his skull,” Jose said with a touch of derision that Cesc knew too well. “You can’t just pull it out. It’s going to bleed.”

Dan glanced between father and son. “We need to get him into surgery and extract in a control, sterile environment. But then, yes, essentially we just pull it out, and repair the wound, making sure that we don’t leave any glass fragments that could cause more damage in the future.”

“We can use a radiograph for that.”

“Exactly, Dr. Fabregas,” Dan said. “Would you like to scrub in?”

“Yes,” Cesc said quickly. “But I told him I’d check on his husband first. Can I go see if he’s come in first?”

“Of course. Dr. Mourinho, I’d love it if you’d be there to observe, at least?” Dan said with the deference Jose expected.

“Yes,” Jose said as he watched his son run out of the room.

Cesc made it to the ER in record time. He found Bojan at the desk amid the hive of activity.

“I’m looking for an Iker Casillas,” Cesc said. “His husband is about to go into emergency surgery and he wants to know if Iker’s okay.”

“Shit,” Bojan said as he checked his screen. “I don’t have everyone logged in yet, it’s been a mess. You could ask around?”

“Thanks,” Cesc said as he jogged to the first trauma room. “Iker?” On the table lay a man with a broken arm.

“Sorry,” the man said and Cesc ran back out. The next room had a woman in it so Cesc moved on to checking the curtained off beds. The first one he came to had a handsome man with a gash on his forehead.

“Iker?”

“Yes?” the man said as he squinted at Cesc. 

“Iker, your husband Pepe is about to go into surgery, he wanted to know how you were.”

“Oh god, Pepe,” Iker said as he tried to stand, but swayed a little.

“Hey, you’re not going anywhere,” the nurse seeing to him said. “We have a possible concussion on top of that cut.”

“I need to see him, please,” Iker begged as tears filled his eyes. “Is he going to be okay? I got pulled out of the wreck and I didn’t see him.”

“The doctors are hopeful,” Cesc said as he looked around. He found a wheelchair, and despite the protests of the nurse, he loaded Iker into it and wheeled him toward the elevator.

They came upon Pepe being wheeled to the OR. Dan looked in alarm at the state of the man in the wheelchair. “Has he been checked?”

“He needs a few stitches and they were going to take him for a CT about a possible concussion, but…” Cesc trailed off as Iker reached for Pepe’s hand.

“You have something in your skull,” Iker said, face pale with concern.

“Eh,” Pepe said and tried to smile. “You have blood on your head.”

“Just a scratch,” Iker said. “You come out of this alive, okay?”

“Promise promise.”

Iker let go as Pepe was wheeled away.

“Dr. Fabregas, why don’t you get that CT right away,” Dan said, “and once you get him back to the ER to get his stitches, join us?”

“Okay,” Cesc said as he realized Iker was dripping blood on the floor. That wasn’t good.

“That looked bad, is he going to be okay?” Iker asked.

“You have two of the best brain surgeons in the world looking after him,” Cesc said. “He’s got the best possible chance.”

“Thank you,” Iker said. “He’s my whole world.”

* * * *

Iker’s CT showed a minor concussion, and Cesc left him with the disgruntled nurse he’d stolen him from to get his stitches. Cesc made it to the OR in time to see Dan extracting the shard from Pepe’s head.

“Dude,” Cesc said under his breath.

“How’s the husband?” Dan asked as he laid the shard in a metal tray.

“Fine,” Cesc said. “Worried.”

“How does it look?” Jose asked as he peered at the wound they were now cleaning.

“Good,” Dan said. “The bleeding is minimal. I think we have time to go for the shards before we close?”

Jose nodded his agreement. “You’re doing excellent work, Dr. Agger.”

“Thank you, Dr. Mourninho.”

As Jose observed the remainder of the surgery, he had to give his son credit. If he was going to put his career at risk by starting a relationship with an attending, he’d certainly chosen a good one.

“One last set of eyes on this,” Dan said. “Cesc, you see any more shards?”

Cesc stepped forward and peered at the wound. “It looks clear.”

“Good,” Dan said. “Let’s close him up.”

“He’s going to be okay?” Cesc asked.

“We’re going ot have to keep him here for a couple of days to monitor him, but yeah, I think he’s going to be okay.”

“Can I tell Iker?”

“You can,” Dan said.

An hour later, Pepe was brought to a recovery room and Cesc went to collect Iker. 

Dan was standing in the door when Cesc stepped out to give them privacy.

“This is the really good part of the job, isn’t it?” Cesc said as they spied on the couple. 

“Yeah it is,” Dan agreed as he smiled at Cesc.

“Next time we’re going to take a train, okay?” Iker said as he took Pepe’s hand.

“Love you,” Pepe said as his eyes opened.

“I love you.”

Cesc didn’t have more than a moment to enjoy the happiness as he was called away to assist with more patients. Several arrived already past being helped. By law they had to be pronounced dead at a hospital and lucky Cesc was given the task for one young woman who looked like she had her whole life in front of her.

“No time to be sentimental,” Dr. Ronaldo told him as he handed Cesc off to another case.

“How is CJ?” Cesc asked as this was the first he’d seen of his resident since CJ had arrived.

“He’s awake,” Dr. Ronaldo reported. “Lola is with him, reading him stories. He doesn’t want to get up and play yet, so we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Cesc wondered why Dr. Ronaldo wasn’t at his son’s bedside. Cesc was pretty sure he would be, but then again, maybe it was better to keep busy than dwell on the fact that your child was lying in the hospital.

As Cesc scampered toward the ER, he was stopped by Dr. Terry.

“Fabregas, where are you headed?”

“Uh,” Cesc’s eyes got wide. “I’m meant to be collecting a patient to take for a scan. Dr. Ronaldo sent me.”

“I’ll let him know he needs to send someone else. You have a dinner date?”

Cesc’s heart sank. In the chaos of the day, he’d managed to forget the fact that he was meant to be having dinner with his father this evening. “We’re really busy,” Cesc tried. “I’m sure we can have dinner another night.”

Dr. Terry eyed the young intern for a moment. There was almost fear in his eyes at the idea of dinner with his father. He tried to reconcile the charming man who’d he’d almost destroyed his marriage over with the father of this bright man who he was, apparently,   
terrified of.

“How about just an hour?” Dr. Terry negotiated for him.

Cesc didn’t look wholly relieved, but he nodded. “Should I…should I get the patient to the CT room?”

“Yes. I’ll have someone paged to take over for you there.”

“Okay,” Cesc said as he took off again.

Dr. Terry noticed he didn’t say thank you.

* * * *

“How’s your girlfriend doing?”

Oscar looked up from his iPad. His eyes met Cesar’s and he looked for condemnation or anger, but all he saw was concern. “She should be fine. Dr. Puyol said it was a nasty break, but he’s fairly sure he’s going to be able to get her back on her feet. She’s a runner, so…” he trailed off as he realized how hard this rehab was going to be on her. That she was going to need a lot of support to get through it. This injury she’d gotten coming to visit him in Barcelona.

“This is not your fault,” Cesar said in a low voice as he leaned closer. They were in a busy corridor as the last of the bust crash victims were arriving, most of them just needing a few stitches here and there. 

“I know,” Oscar said quickly as he checked for a status update on some labs he was waiting on.

“And you don’t have to feel any responsibility toward her,” Cesar said.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Oscar said even as the sting of the words echoed in Cesar’s eyes. I didn’t promise you anything, Oscar silently begged. 

“I know,” Cesar said as he backed away. “I know.”

Oscar hated himself for hurting Cesar like this. Cesar was a good guy. A great guy. But Oscar had fucked up last night. Like he really thought he could cheat on his girlfriend and karma wouldn’t come and bite him in the ass?

She’d come all this way to see him. To surprise him. How was he supposed to break up with her now as she lay in the hospital, paying the price for nothing worse than being more devoted to this relationship than him and making the first step toward making it right?

* * * *

“Daddy,” CJ said with a sleepy smile as Cristiano arrived in the children’s ward after finishing his work in the Emergency Room. Dr. Terry hadn’t allowed him any surgeries, per the agreement they’d made when CJ had first been in the hospital as a baby, but Dr. Ronaldo didn’t mind. He knew there were others who took care of the people today.

“Hey there, champ,” he said with a smile as he pulled a paper sack out from behind his back. “Guess what I have?”

“Is it a cheeseburger?” CJ asked hopefully and Lola laid her hand on CJ’s arm.

“You know you’re not allowed!” Lola admonished. CJ had been on a strict diet his whole life and had raised the idea of a cheeseburger to a mythical level in his mind.

Cristiano reached into the bag and pulled out a small packet of M&M’s. “You can have them after you have your dinner.”

CJ reached for it, and Cristiano placed the treasure in his hands before leaned down to kiss his forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” CJ admitted.

“You didn’t feel very good this morning, did you?” Cristiano asked as he sat down. The orderly brought in CJ’s dinner tray.

“No,” CJ admitted. “Lola said we could go to the park today and I thought if I told you, you’d say we had to stay inside.”

Cristiano sighed. He knew it was hard on CJ to see how kids his age didn’t have to be careful all of the time, but he didn’t think he was too strict with him. “And would I have been right to tell you that you had to stay in?” 

“Yes,” CJ said even as his little lower lip stuck out.

“You know we’ve talked about this. You know that you have to tell me when you don’t feel good.”

“I know, Daddy,” CJ said as he clutched at his M&M packet. “I don’t want to not feel good any more.”

Cristiano squeezed his eyes shut. “I know, baby. I know.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 25,700
> 
> sorry it's late!

Day 14

Cesc changed into his street clothes and realized he’d not worn something this morning that was appropriate for the kind of restaurant his father frequented. Shit, he thought as he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like he’d been on a twelve hour shift amid a bus crash.

This was what his father was getting if he was insisting on dinner tonight, Cesc decided as he stepped out of the intern’s locker room. Dr. Terry said that his father had been working in his office, so he headed in that direction.

He’s just your father, Cesc coached himself as he walked. He’s just as full of bullshit as every one else’s father. Just because he could do miracles in surgery did not mean that he wasn’t still full of shit.

Cesc knocked on the office door. “Come in.”

Pushing it open, he saw that there were several covered plates set out on the desk, and his dad turned away from the computer. “Cesc.”

“Hi,” Cesc said. “I thought we were going out…?”

“I know. I’m sorry,” his father said. “But I’m working on something here, and Dr. Terry said you were still need here because of the accident, so I thought we could have a quick meal here.”

“Sure, yeah,” Cesc agreed. He should have been relieved to be freed from the pain of having to face a snooty waiter in his trainers, but some how he got the feeling that none of this had been done for his benefit.

Though of course his father would have something posh catered, rather than just a pizza from Guti’s.

“Sit,” his father ordered and Cesc took the chair across from him. As his dad lifted the covers, he realized his dad had ordered fish. Cesc hated fish. He could vividly remember a family dinner when he was about ten years old, having an absolute fit in the middle of a pricey restaurant because he didn’t want to eat the fish his father had ordered for him when he’d specifically wanted a cheeseburger and french fries for dinner.

“How’s the surgery looking?” Cesc asked as he picked up his silverware. Two bites. You will eat two bites of that fish.

“It’s going to be tricky,” his father said, “but I think we can be successful,” Jose said. “Dr. Agger is an excellent surgeon.”

Cesc nodded. “I’ve been in on a couple of his surgeries and his techniques are better than they describe in school.”

“I hardly think you can get any real idea what surgeries are supposed to be like by reading textbooks and watching videos,” Jose said as he dismissed Cesc’s opinion.

Cesc poked at the fish with his fork. Of course his opinion wasn’t valid. His opinion had never been valid. He bit about a reply and speared a piece of carrot with his fork.

“Tell me about the surgeries you’ve assisted on,” Jose said after several moments of silence.”

“My first was a brain tumor,” Cesc said. “The man presented with headache and mood swings. Dr. Agger did a routine removal…”

“There is nothing routine about brain surgery,” Jose interrupted. “Every human brain is unique.”

Cesc closed his mouth and set down his fork. He looked at his father, anger welling up in him. Nothing was fucking good enough for this man. Nothing. He was even sating a fucking brain surgeon and that was probably, somehow, beneath him.

Or Cesc wasn’t good enough for Dan.

“Francesc,” his father said placatingly. “I’m trying to make you understand the gravity of this undertaking. The medical profession is a highly skilled pursuit which only the very best should even attempt. Surgery is the very highest. If you don’t have respect for that, perhaps you need to reconsider your speciality.”

Cesc clenched his jaw. “I’ve been an intern for two weeks.”

“Yes?” Jose’s brow furrowed.

“Two weeks into a year long program. Then I take on a residency for more years of training. It takes years and years and years of practice and training to become a surgeon. The fact that I haven’t mastered the basics yet shouldn’t be a surprise.” Cesc stood up. “I have patients to see to.”

Jose sighed. “I’m not sure why I expected you to have matured.”

Cesc put his hand on the door. Don’t do it. Don’t rise to it. Don’t give him one more reason to put you down.

Cesc turned. “I don’t know why I expected you to start acting like a father.”

 

* * * *

Cesc stopped by CJ’s room in the pediatric ward. The boy was asleep. Cesc pulled up his charts on his iPad to see how he was doing.

“You’re not on this case, are you?”

Cesc turned to see Dr. Ramos peering in the door.

“No,” Cesc shook his head. “But I was here when he came in with the broken arm and I just wanted to see how he was doing.”

Dr. Ramos leaned on the door jam. “I think he’s going to weather this one alright, but I’m afraid it’s a sign that he’s just not out of the woods with his heart.”

Cesc hugged the iPad to his chest. “Is there anything else that can be done? I mean…I know you’re doing all you can and all, but is there anything new being tried?”

Dr. Ramos sighed. “I’ve been asking myself that since the day the little guy came through my door when he was just a couple of months old. The doctors in Manchester seemed to think he’d out grow some of this, but they either didn’t have a pediatric cardiology specialist or a really crappy one. Kids grow out of a lot, but generally heart conditions is not one of them.”

“Is it hard?” Cesc asked, the dark and quiet of the ward making him introspective.

“What?”

“Knowing there’s sick little kid and there isn’t anything you can do to make it better?”

Dr. Ramos sighed. “It really is. But we help so many. And when you get to see a little kid come back to you, with a smile on his face and happy parents, well…”

“That makes it worth it,” Cesc said. 

“You considering pediatric surgery?” Dr. Ramos asked.

“Yeah,” Cesc said. “It feels like you’re really making a difference here, you know?”

“I do know,” Dr. Ramos replied. 

“Do you mind if I do some research into his case? I mean, I’m sure you already caught everything there is and all…but…”

“Absolutely not,” Dr. Ramos said. “A fresh pair of eyes is always welcome. I’ll see about having you put on this case.”

“Thanks,” Cesc said. He was determined he was going to do something to help CJ.

* * * *

None of the interns made it home that night, and the early morning light found four of them strewn around the on-call room. A small space with several bunkbeds for doctors to crash out in when going home wasn’t an option.

Oscar was asleep in his girlfriend’s room. The surgery had been successful, but Dr. Puyol had put her leg back together with screws and rods. She was going to be bound to a wheelchair for weeks at the very least.

Pagers went off at 6 am and there were groans around the room.

“Am I dead?” Leo moaned. “Is this hell? I’m pretty sure this is hell.”

The door opened and a head peeked in. “Everyone awake?”

“Does hell come with pretty nurses?” Cesc asked as he opened an eye to see Bojan peering in.

“I doubt it,” Leo said as he smiled up at Bojan, squinting into the light behind him. 

“You guys need a round of coffee?” Bojan offered.

“Yes,” Eden said. “Or start an IV. Can I get a central line of espresso?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Bojan winked at Leo as he left.

“I like him a lot,” Cesar said with a wide yawn. “Can you marry him so he moves in with us?”

Leo laughed. “Maybe we could go on a real date first?”

“Dating is for losers,” Eden said as they all began to rise, and stretch. “Find some hot piece of ass to fuck, and move on with your life.”

“Eden, you’re such a romantic, really, you’re making me blush,” Cesar said as he smacked Eden on his big, round booty.

“I know it,” Eden said. “See you suckers at rounds.”

Eden left and the other three followed.

“Is there a shower here?” Cesar asked. “I feel like I need a shower.”

Cesc sniffed him. “You smell like you need a shower.”

“Do I?” Cesar sniffed his armpit and the other two started to giggle.

“Come on, Dave, we’re going to be late for rounds!” Leo called as the three of them arrived at the main nurses’ station to collect their iPads.

“When is your dad doing that big surgery?” Cesar asked as he skimmed through the day’s offerings. All of his patients were stable through the night, two discharges to see to this morning.

“Tomorrow,” Cesc said. “Apparently he came down for the weekend to catch up with old friends.”

“And see you?” Leo said as he glanced at Cesc.

“I suppose so,” Cesc sighed. “I kinda wish he hadn’t.”

Dr. Ronaldo strode in, some how managing to look like he hadn’t slept in on of the chairs in his son’s hospital room that night. Cesc wondered if there was some technique to not looking like night of the living dead after being at the hospital all night. Or maybe Cristiano had done it so much, he just had adapted.

Cesc promised to himself that he was going start looking into pediatric heart studies in every free minute he got. People were creating new and better ways to treat conditions every day. Some one out there, somewhere, had to be working on a case similar to CJ’s. And Cesc would find out about it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 27,502

Day 15

Cesc dragged his sorry ass home that night at about eight. He’d wanted to see Dan, but Dan was out to dinner that evening with Jose, Dr. Terry and Dr. Lampard for some important something or other.

“You could come,” Dan had suggested lightly.

“I could not,” Cesc made a face. Dan sighed, but was sympathetic. Cesc had told him all about the evening with his dad. He got it. 

But as he sat at the dinner table, listening to the three old friends reminisce about their own internships, Dan just wished Cesc was at his side.

He might be falling in love with him, Dan mused as he laughed on cue at a story Frank was telling. Cesc was so earnest and good. His flaws were on display, unselfconsciously. Cesc was going to make a world class surgeon, just like his father, but the difference would be that Cesc had compassion like his father never would.

“So,” Jose turned to Dan. “Dr. Agger, where did you do your residency?”

“Liverpool General,” Dan said. “I worked under Dr. Steven Gerrard.”

“I know him,” John said. “We were at med school together. How is the bastard doing these days?”

“Very well,” Dan reported, smirking a little at the description. Steven very well could be a bastard, as his husband would attest to. “He and Xabi have three little girls now.”

“Do they?” Frank said with a smile. He was jealous of anyone who managed to be a surgeon and have a family. As much as he loved John with all of his heart, his one regret in life was that he’d never had any kids. John hadn’t really wanted to. The hospital was his children, he used to joke, he didn’t have time for children. Frank could see his point. They did see more of each other inside the four wall of the hospital than in their own home…but still.

If they had a reason to go home that came with pigtails or pint-sized pajamas, Frank was sure they would have found a way to make it happen.

“Children can be a distraction for a surgeon,” Jose proclaimed, and before the other three men at the table could react to the statement, he began to rattle on about a procedure he’d done recently at a hospital in Tokyo.

* * * *

Cesc had meant to watch his father and Dan’s miracle surgery, he honestly had. Well, of Dan’s sake more than his father’s, but when a car accident came in with two unrestrained toddlers, Dr. Ramos called Cesc to the ER with him.

“Who doesn’t put a kid in a car seat,” Cesc said under his breath as they stood in the ambulance bay, waiting for the victims to come in.

Sergio sighed. “I don’t know. You can get them for free from a lot of government programs.”

“People don’t always like taking hand outs,” Cesc said even though he still disapproved.

The ambulance screamed up and Cesc readied himself, running over the protocols in his head. 

“Three-year old, unrestrained, spine stabilized in the field,” the EMT said as the over- sized gurney was pulled from the ambulance. Cesc wondered where the parents were for a moment as he looked down at the little person, crying for all she was worth, blond curls stuck to her forehead. Blood on her bunny jumper.

“Where are the parents?” Dr. Ramos demanded as the wheeled the child inside.

Cesc looked at the EMT as the little girl screamed for her mother, and realized that the parents weren’t coming.

Dr. Ramos nodded and started calling out directions. Cesc waited for his, itching to do something, anything.

“Cesc,” Dr. Ramos finally said as the activity buzzed around. “I want you to stay here with this little girl. Her brother is coming in a few minutes, and I want you to keep an eye on them both. Child Protective Services are being called, but I want you with both of them. No one is fighting for them right now, and you need to be there, understand?”

Cesc nodded quickly. He looked down at the terrified little girl and took her hand. “Hey, my name’s Cesc. What’s your name?”

The girl still screamed, but her eyes were now on Cesc.

“We’re going to take good care of you,” Cesc promised. “But I’m afraid this nurse here is going to have to cut off your pretty jumper.” Cesc looked up at the nurse, who’s name was Aaron. “But I bet you can be brave, can’t you?”

“You look like a brave little girl,” Aaron echoed.

The girl’s wails subsided to a whimper. “I brave.”

“You are,” Cesc said encouragingly. “What’s your name?”

“Summer,” she said, eyeing Cesc now as Aaron cut her jumper up the middle. The nurses had given her a pain killer to numb her so they could get a better idea of her injuries. Flailing toddlers with possible spinal injuries were difficult to diagnose.

“Summer!” Cesc said with a smile. “That’s an amazing name. You have a brother?”

“Yes,” she said. “Georgie.”

“Wow,” Cesc said. “I don’t have any brothers. Is he a good brother?”

“Yes,” Summer agreed. She focused on Cesc as the nurses worked around him. “Where’s Mummy?”

Cesc took a breath. “She’s not coming right now, but you and I are going to be brave, okay?”

“Okay.”

“We need to get her up for an MRI,” Aaron said quietly. 

Cesc nodded. “Summer, are you ready to go on an adventure?”

Summer’s eyes got wide. “Venture?”

“That’s right,” Cesc said. “Aaron and I are going to go with you.”

“And Georgie?”

“As soon as he gets here, we’ll bring him along,” Cesc promised as he said a prayer. You took this little girl’s parents already, don’t take her brother, too.

* * * *

When Dan stepped out of the OR after the surgery, he was looking for Cesc’s face amongst the crowd of well wishers. The surgery had gone better than even expected, Dr. Mourinho’s new procedure having worked smoothly and the patient was stable. They would have to wait for her to wake up to be sure, but everything had gone according to plan.

“Where’s Dr. Fabregas?” Dan asked Leo who seemed to be the only one of the interns there. He supposed they did have actual work to do, but Dr. Ronaldo had given them permission to see the surgery.

“He got called to the ER,” Leo said. “He’s working with Dr. Ramos today.”

Dan nodded, knowing the profession too well to actually be hurt that Cesc wouldn’t have stayed if he was needed elsewhere, but still missing his presence.

“Excellent work, Dr. Agger,” Jose said as he emerged last, shaking Dan’s hand in a pure PR moment.

“Thank you, sir,” Dan said. Cesc. He needed to share this with Cesc.

Escaping all the glad-handing, Dan made his way down to the pediatric ward. Cesc was sitting by the bedside of a little blond haired boy with his arm in a cast, sleeping.

“Who have we got here?” Dan asked as he stepped into the room.

“This is Georgie,” Cesc said. “He and his sister were in a car accident this morning. I promised Summer I’d stay with him while she was in surgery because Georgie isn’t as brave as she is.” Cesc had a stack of medical journals next to him. He’d been researching pediatric heart conditions while he waited.

“Where are the parents?” Dan asked as he sat down. 

Cesc brushed back Georgie’s hair, careful of the scratches on his face, an impressive bruise forming on one cheek. “They didn’t make it. CPS has been searching for next of kin, but as yet, they’ve not been able to locate any one.”

“Oh,” Dan said as his heart broke a little. 

“They’re all alone,” Cesc said as he reached for Dan’s hand.

“They’re not,” Dan said. “They have you looking after them.”

Cesc nodded. “I wonder…is it better to have one fucked up parent who’s more concerned about his career than his son than to have no parents.”

Dan thought for a long moment, knowing this question was important, not just some off handed remark. “I think every parent does the best they know how. No parent does things to hurt their children, at least not on purpose. But they try the very best that they can, and they know, some times, that even their best isn’t enough.”

Dr. Lampard stepped into the room and Cesc dropped Dan’s hand.

“How’s Summer?” Cesc asked, as Dr. Lampard had assisted Dr. Ramos in the surgery.

“She’s going to be fine, I think. Everything went well. No spinal damage.”

Cesc breathed out. “Oh good.”

“Any luck on finding family?” Dr. Lampard asked as he gazed at the little boy.

“No,” Cesc said. “I talked to CPS and they’re on the case. It’s going to be very difficult to find foster parents for two little ones who are going to be in the hospital for a while.”

Dr. Lampard nodded. “Then I suppose we’ll all have to look after them for awhile.” He wondered for a moment, if these two had been brought here today because they were meant to be here. In this family.

He shook off the thought. Family would be located. Don’t just put your own fantasy on these two kids who probably had panicked grandparents about to turn up at any time.

But for a long moment, Frank let himself imagine that he could take them home. And have that family he’d always dreamed of.

“You’ll keep me updated on them, Dr. Fabregas?”

“Of course, Dr. Lampard.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 30005

Day 16

Ludmila awoke on Monday morning and her whole body ached. She saw Oscar asleep on the chair.

“Hey, you,” she said, and her throat was raspy.

Oscar’s eyes opened. “Morning, beautiful.”

“Oh, don’t even lie to me,” Ludy laughed and then winced as the movement jarred her leg which was stabilized with some contraption.

Oscar leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Your parents are on their way.”

Ludy sighed. “Oh heavens. Is my mother having a fit?”

“Of course she is,” Oscar confirmed. “She said something about moving to Madrid to look after you while you recover.”

Her eyes got wide with panic. “No. Oscar, no. My mother cannot move in with me. I wouldn’t survive it.”

“I’m sure we can head her off,” Oscar promised as he stood up to stretch. He’d missed rounds that morning and started to wonder exactly how much trouble his ass was in with Dr. Ronaldo.

Ludy’s face was worried. “But…who is going to look after me? I have a third floor apartment with no elevator. Dr. Puyol said it was going to be a month or more until they could even think about me walking.”

Oscar took her hand. “You know I want to help.”

“I know,” Ludy said. “But your life in here. Your internship…”

“I know,” Oscar said. He wanted to protest that she was more important. That he would have been willing to give it up to look after her. “You could come to Barcelona,” he said quietly, afraid he was about to start up the old argument they’d had a dozen times.

Ludy sighed, and closed her eyes. “Okay.”

“What?”

“I’ll come to Barcelona,” she opened her eyes again and looked at him. “Let’s face it. I can’t do my job right now, anyway. Maybe this is a sign. A sign I needed to come here to be with you. That I was wrong to pick my career over you.”

Even as she said it, his chest caught. He didn’t want her to do that. He didn’t want her to make a sacrifice for him.

But he knew that he didn’t really have a choice right now, did he. She was making a sacrifice, had made one and was going to make another and was he enough of a selfish bastard that he was going to tell her no? Send her back to Madrid to have her mother who she didn’t get along with on a good day? When she’d been in this horrible accent as she was extending the olive branch to him?

“My flat has an elevator,” Oscar said with a smile.

“Yeah?” Ludy said with a smile. “You mean it?”

“You know I’m busy here, right?” Oscar said. “I can look after you as much as I can, but it’s not going to be like it was in Madrid.”

“I know,” Ludy said quickly. “I have a few friends here in town from university. I’ll be back on my feet in a few months and look for a new job. We can make this work, Oscar.”

Oscar smiled and leaned in to kiss her. He would make this work.

* * * *

“Have you seen Dr. Lampard?” Dr. Terry asked as he he stopped at the nurse’s station. It was late on Monday and they’d had reservations for dinner that John wasn’t sure they were going to make.

“I think he’s in pediatrics,” Bojan said. Some days he felt like about the only nurse in this place.

“Pediatrics?” John frowned. “Is he consulting on a case?”

“I think so. Those twins that came in without parents? He’s been looking in on them.”

As chief of surgery, John had been informed of the case, but hadn’t thought much on it. CPS would take care of it once the children were able to be released.

He made his way down to the ward and looked at his watch. They’d be cutting it close on that reservation.

“So the little bunny said, ‘Have you seen my red hat?’”

John looked into the room and saw Frank on a chair between two beds. A pair of blond heads were turned in his direction, eyes transfixed as the world class surgeon read them a bed time story. John didn't interrupt as Frank finished the tale.

“I’m glad he found his hat,” the boy said with a yawn. Both of the children had bruises on their faces from the accident. The girl was in a neck brace and the boy had an arm in a cast.

“I have a red hat,” the girl said. “Mummy gave it to me.”

“Where’s Mummy?” the boy asked.

“She’s not coming,” the girl said, repeating what she’d been told, but her eyes were wide with fear. She didn’t understand never coming back but it scared her.

“Oh,” the boy said, not understanding either.

“Okay you two,” Frank said as he closed the book, pain on his face that he was unable to hide. “You said you’d sleep after a story.”

“You stay, Frank?” the little girl asked hopefully.

“I’ll stay,” Frank said as he leaned over to kiss the girl on a clear patch of her forehead. He did the same to the boy as he went to the door to dim the lights.

“Hey,” John said as he tried to take in the scene. “We have dinner reservations.”

“Oh, yeah,” Frank said as he watched the pairs of eyes look at him distrustfully, assuming he was going to leave. “Sleep. I’m right here.” He waited for eyes to close before turning back to John. “I’m not going to make it. I promised Dr. Fabregas I’d stay with them.”

“Dr. Fabregas?” John said, wondering why an intern had any right asking an attending to look after a couple of kids for him. 

“Dr. Ramos put him on this case, but the kid was wiped out. He’d been here since Saturday, so I told him to go home and get some sleep and I’d look after them for him.”

“Frank,” John said, “there are nurses. CPS is supposed to be arranging foster care. They are not your responsibility.”

“John, these kids lost their parents today,” Frank said in a low voice. “They don’t need to be passed off to strangers right now. They need medical care, and above that, they need to feel safe.”

“Which is someone else’s responsibility,” John said, irritation creeping into his voice. “You know I’ve been looking forward to going to this restaurant.”

Frank looked at John for a long moment. The love of his life. But in choosing to be with John, he’d given up something he wanted more than almost anything.

“Then take Jose.”

* * * *

“I’m exhausted,” Cesc protested as Cesar stood over him with a pleading look on his face.

“I know, dinner and one drink,” Cesar promised. “I want to go out.”

“It’s Monday,” Cesc countered. He’d left those twins in the care of Dr. Lampard, and it wasn’t that he didn’t trust the surgeon, but if he was going to abandon his post, it really shouldn’t be for a Monday night at Guti’s.

“Please?” Cesar said, hating to beg, but needing this. When Oscar had come to him, telling him that his girlfriend was moving in with him in Barcelona, he’d been shocked to say to the least. “Leo and Oscar are on call. And Eden is probably headed back to his crypt.”

“Did I hear my name taken in vain?” Eden asked as he pushed open the door. 

“Cesar wants to go for drinks,” Cesc said.

“I’m in,” Eden said. “Guti’s?”

“Totally,” Cesar said and sent one last look at Cesc who’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Fine,” Cesc said as he shoved his worn scrubs in the bin and rooted around in his locker for spare pants. One thing he’d learned very quickly was that as an intern, you always needed to have spare pants in your locker.

They headed over to Guti’s, just a couple of blocks from the hospital, and found a fairly good crowd there for a Monday. There was an English Premier League football match on the TVs, and people were talking and laughing.

“I like this place,” Eden said as they grabbed a booth and a waitress brought over some menus.

“Hi. We have beer. Pizza’s 20% off during matches.”

Cesc laughed as he looked at the name tag on the woman. “Thanks, Scarlet.”

“No worries. Beer?”

“Beer,” Cesar accepted.

“Fancy beer or cheap beer?” Scarlet asked. 

“Cheap,” Cesar said.

“Interns or nurses?” Scarlet countered with a smile.

“Interns,” Cesar laughed and Scarlet made a note in her pad. “Three pints of intern class beer.”

“Cesc’s dad has money,” Eden protested, “he can buy.”

“Uh, I don’t have my dad’s money,” Cesc said.

“You live in his house,” Eden said. 

“And I pay you rent,” Cesar said. “Where does that money go?”

“No where, yet,” Cesc gave him a look, “You haven’t paid me anything yet.”

“Oh yeah,” Cesar grinned. “I’ll get on that.”

Pizza was debated and settled on and by the time Scarlet had returned with their drinks, they were settled into discussing work.

“Those twins actually broke my heart,” Cesc said. “How do you tell a little kid that their parents aren’t ever coming back again.”

“I don’t like talking to families,” Eden made a face. “They always cry. I don’t deal well with people who cry.”

“You don’t deal with people who have emotions, full stop,” Cesar said. “Do you even smile?”

“Shut up, I smile.” Eden put on a creepy smile and the other two laughed.

“You smile when they let you cut people open!” Cesc said.

“They haven’t let me cut anyone open yet,” Eden lamented. “All I’ve gotten to do so far is sew some people back closed.”

“I suppose there’s less to fuck up with a needle rather than a scalpel,” Cesc said. He took a drink of his beer, which wasn’t bad for the cheap intern special, and spied a blond woman sitting at the bar, chatting with Guti. “Hey, guys, isn’t that Lola?”

“Lola who?” Cesar asked as he turned around.

“Lola’s, Dr. Ronaldo’s nanny,” Cesc said he watched the woman laughing at something Guti was saying. 

“Is his son still in the hospital?” Cesar asked.

“Until tomorrow. They just wanted to make sure he was responding well to the antibiotics,” Cesc updated them. “Dr. Ronaldo must have told her to get out of the hospital for awhile. She’s not left his bedside.”

“That’s a lot of dedication for a nanny,” Eden commented as he checked out the woman. She wasn’t bad for an older woman.

“What are you doing?” Cesar asked as Cesc went over to say hello.

“What do you mean?” Eden replied as he turned back to Cesar.

“You, giving that nanny the once over.”

Eden grinned. “What? I need to get laid already.”

“Okay, fair enough, but Ronaldo’s nanny? Are you actually out of your mind?” Cesar realized he was almost done with his first beer.

“What? It doesn’t have to mean anything. The woman probably needs laid too. Stuck all day with that sick kid? And Ronaldo at work practically 24-7? It will do us both good.”

“She is trying to hit on the bartender,” Cesar observed. Hitting on the bartender and/or waitresses was never a good call. They flirted with you for tips. You should never actually expect that you were going to get anywhere with them. And if you did, you always had to wonder if they went home with customers all the time.

“Then she definitely needs laid,” Eden read his thoughts and got up.

“Hey,” Cesar said as he was left alone to hold down the table.

“So yeah, we go home tomorrow,” Lola was saying to Cesc. “And I get to keep a hyperactive four year-old in bed for the rest of the week.”

“Oh man,” Cesc was sympathetic. “Guti, she needs another drink.”

Lola laughed. “I have to head back to the hospital soon.”

“Then you definitely need another drink,” Eden said as he offered his hand to Lola. “Hi, I’m Dr. Hazard.”

Lola suppressed a laugh. “Dr. Hazard? Are you sure you’re not a stripper?”

Cesc let out a guffaw. “Dude, shot down before you even got off the ground!”

Eden glared as Lola looked between them. “He a friend of yours, Dr. Fabregas?”

“Friend, no,” Cesc said with a wink. “Fellow intern, yes.”

Guti returned from delivering a round of drinks. He began pulling pints. “Are these interns bothering you, Miss?”

“Yes. I only want to be hit on by actual doctors,” Lola said. “Away with them.”

“You heard the lady,” Guti said as he slid three intern-specials across the bar. “Go drink your cheap beer.”

Eden grabbed his beer and retreated to the table, but Cesc lingered for a moment. “I hope we can find a way to help CJ stop having these episodes.”

Lola smiled at him, a world weary look of a person watching a child they love suffer in her eyes, “I hope so too.”

Cesc departed with his beer for him and one for Cesar. Guti watched him leave as he wiped down the bar. “He’s a good kid.”

“Yeah he is,” Lola said. “Did I hear he’s dating Dr. Agger?”

“Yeah,” Guti said. “They hooked up here a couple of weeks ago.”

“Nice one,” Lola approved. “I’m sure Cristiano is annoyed as all get-out about that.”

“Oh, I’m certain he is,” Guti chuckled. Dr. Ronaldo wasn’t exactly a regular as he didn’t drink, but he came by every now and again with some of the other doctors.

“Well, who have we here?” Guti said as Dr. Terry and Cesc’s dad arrived in the bar.

Lola turned to look. “Oh, Cesc’s dad!”

“They do not get along,” Guti reported as he waved at the pair.    
“Cesc and his dad?” Lola asked as she leaned in for the gossip. “He never said.”

“Oh, it goes way way back,” Guti leaned in as well. “Did you know Dr. Mourinho’s wife, Cesc’s mother, committed suicide?”

“Really?” Lola asked as she watched the pair take a table out of the eye line of Cesc and his friends.

“Yeah. When Cesc was just a kid. It was before I opened this place. I’ve only heard about it in passing.”

“So…like Cesc blames his dad or something?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Guti said, the defense of every gossip, “but I think when she died, Jose got seriously involved in his career, and left Cesc to be raised by baby sitters.”

“Well, shit, I’m half raising Cris’s kid,” Lola said.

“Yeah, but this is different. Cris makes time for that kid.”

“He adores him,” Lola smiled. “I had to send him away yesterday to get a shower.”

“Him?” Guti said. “Didn’t he just about have to throw you out to come here tonight? And you’ve had a cheeseburger and one drink and are thinking about running out?”

“I know,” Lola said. “I just don’t want him to be alone!”

“He’s never alone in that place,” Guti said as he poured Lola a second drink. “Now relax while I go entertain myself.”

“Doing what?” Lola asked, eyes wide.

Guti headed off Scarlet who was on her way to get the orders of John and Jose and approached the table himself.

“Evening gentlemen. What brings you two top class doctors to my lowly little establishment.”

“Guti, my good man, how are you?” Jose said with a smile as he shook his hand.

“We showed up too late for our reservation,” John said with a sigh.

“Which is why I don’t take reservations,” Guti nodded sagely. “We can’t have good customers being turned away. Now, what can I get you?”

John and Jose ordered a couple of scotches on the rocks and decided to get a pizza.

“Excellent choice,” Guti said. “Oh, your son is here,” he said to Jose, “just around the corner if you want to stop by and say hello.”

“Thank you,” Jose said as Guti swanned away.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 31010

Day 17

Cesc and the other interns were laughing loudly, pizza finished and on their third round when Jose stopped by the table.

“Cesc,” he said as he cast a disapproving eye around the table.

"Oh, hi Dr. Mourinho," Eden straightened up instinctively. 

Cesc eyed him for a moment, words he wasn't quite drunk enough to speak swirling around in his head. "Father."

"That surgery was awesome today," Cesar spoke up. "How's the patient?"

"Doing well," Jose said. 

"How much longer are you going to stay?" Cesc asked pointedly. The presence of his father here in this world where he was trying to create his own life, his own adulthood, his own world was getting on his nerves quite frankly. 

"I'd love to see you do more work," Eden said as he gave Cesc a glare. 

"Actually, Dr. Terry has asked me to stay for a few weeks and run a series of lectures for the interns with Dr. Agger." Jose addressed Eden as Cesar kicked Cesc under the table. 

"I look forward to that," Eden said way too eagerly. Cesar was about to kicked him as well. 

"Enjoy your evening," Jose said with a smile. "Rounds at 6 am."

Jose walked away and Cesc groaned. "I've been to med school and my dad just told me off in front of my friends for staying out on a school night.”

“Your dad’s not so bad,” Eden said dismissively. “You should meet my old man.”

“Your dad a world class surgeon with his head so far up his ass that he didn’t even have time to come to his only child’s college graduation?” Cesc asked as he drained his third beer and seriously considered another.

“No, he’s a drug addicted musician,” Eden said derisively. “So maybe quit bitching about your posh life with your college paid for and living for free in a penthouse flat.”

Cesc’s eyes got wide as Eden shoved away from the table, stalking toward the bar.

Cesar frowned. “Shit.”

“Seriously,” Cesc sighed. “Should I go apologize?”

“I’ll talk to him,” Cesar offered as he slid out of the booth.

“I think I’m going to go over to Dan’s,” Cesc said as he looked at his phone. It was only ten o’clock. Dan was surely still awake. He sent a text and picked up the check.

“I can give you my part,” Cesar offered but Cesc waved him away. 

“My and my posh life can get this round.”

Cesc escaped, managing to skirt past his father’s table as Cesar joined Eden at the bar where Guti was pouring another round.

“Just two,” Cesar told him. “Cesc had to run.”

Eden glanced at him. “Oh, did I hurt the poor little rich boy’s feelings?”

Cesar shrugged. “Nah, he felt bad,” he said. “I think we all forget some times that we think our own shit is the worst, and someone else always has shit, too.”

“Even you?”

Cesar took a sip of his fresh beer. “Do you know how I paid for med school?”

Eden shook his head. 

“I worked as an underwear model.”

Eden raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Yup. You buy any package of underpants from El Corte Ingles and you’ll see my lovely abs and groin.”

“I think I’m wearing those right now,” Eden said as he peered down at Cesar’s abs. 

Cesar sighed. “The only saving grace is that for the most part, none of my work where you can see my face is out there much, but it paid for med school.”

“Can’t fault that,” Eden agreed.

“Cut Cesc some slack,” Cesar said. “Imagine if your dad suddenly turned up at your place of work and treated you like a misbehaving ten year old.”

Eden sighed. “I know he’s got daddy issues, but…”

“But, nothing, okay? He gets to be miserable with his shit just like you’re miserable with yours, okay?”

Guti had been observing this exchange. “You sure you didn’t used to work as a bartender?” he asked Cesar.

“Was offered a job as a stripper once,” Cesar grinned.

“I could watch that,” Eden grinned and Cesar punched him on the arm.

“Go by some underwear if you want to see the goods.”

* * * *

Cesc checked his phone as he got out of the cab, paying the driver. Dan hadn’t texted back and Cesc wondered for a moment if maybe he’d gotten called in on a surgery. He was on call tonight.

He wondered if he should have had the cab wait as he rang the buzzer, but the door clicked open and Cesc stepped in.

Dan’s apartment was nice; it was an old building not far off the Ramblas in an fun neighborhood in Barcelona. It wasn’t quite as nice as Cesc’s place, but then again, he didn’t live on Jose’s money.

Cesc knew Eden was right. Who was he to bitch about his life when it was a cushy place full of everything he needed. 

Everything except a father who cared.

Cesc knocked on the door to Dan’s place, a little surprised when it wasn’t standing open. Surely Dan knew it was him.

When the door did open, an unfamiliar tall, blond man was standing in the doorway.

“Can I help you?”

“Uh…hi,” Cesc said with a frown as he looked around the man to see the number on the door. “I was looking for Dr. Daniel Agger.”

“Oh, you’ve got the right place,” the man said, stepping back. 

Cesc walked in, confused. 

“Was he expecting you?” the man asked.

“Uh,” Cesc said as he took in the man. Tall, blond, with freckles. He was gorgeous. “I sent him a text but maybe he didn’t get it.”

“Who was it at the door?”

Cesc turned to see Dan stepping out of the bathroom, a towel slung low across his hips, drying off his hair.

“He didn’t say,” the blond said.

“Cesc,” Dan said, his eyes gone wide. “What are you doing here? I thought you went to dinner with Eden and Cesar?”

“I did,” Cesc said. “But we were done and I thought I’d come over. Who is this man?”

Dan opened his mouth, but the blond spoke first.

“Hi, I’m Fernando. Dan’s husband. And you must be the intern he’s screwing.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 32316

Day 18

Cesc couldn’t even process for a long moment, and then turned and walked out of the apartment.

“Cesc!” Dan called after him, but he took one look at Fernando and stopped as he watched Cesc flee the apartment.

“He’s a cute little thing, I’ll give you that.”

“Fernando!” Dan yelled as he heard Cesc thundering down the stairs. Fernando turned and shut the door.

“Yes?”

“I fucking left you a year ago. You slept with my best friend? You remember that, right?”

“Danny,” Fernando said as he watched him storm back to the bathroom.

Dan had to go get Cesc. He had to talk to him and explain this. Yes he was married, but that didn’t mean anything any more. After what Fernando did, his marriage didn’t mean anything any more. Fine, they’d never actually gotten a divorce, but when you walk in on your husband in bed with your best friend, it was over.

Fernando stood in the doorway of Dan’s bedroom, watching him get dressed. “That was a year ago. You walked out. I was assuming you’d come back so we could at least have a fight about this.”

Dan ignored him as he searched for his shoes. Would Cesc be alone at the apartment? He didn’t really want to have this discussion in front of an audience.

“Oh, so we’re back to this then? You never change, do you, Dan? Ignore everything around you that you don’t want to deal with? Hope things you don’t like just disappear? Do you have any idea why I slept with Nick in the first place?”

“I’m assuming because you’re a cheating, lying bastard.” Dan finally stood up to face Fernando.

Fernando’s eyes got hard. “Do you know that this is the first time you’ve actually looked me in the eye in about two years?”

“Fernando, leave.”

“No, I will not leave. I came here so we could talk. Yes, I made a mistake, but you don’t just get to walk out of a five year marriage without even giving me a chance to explain.”

Dan stood in the doorway to his bedroom, dressed and ready to go after Cesc. “So explain.”

Fernando faltered for a moment. “Can we at least sit down?”

“You have five minutes,” Dan looked at his phone, now seeing that there had been a text from Cesc. A text that could have prevented Cesc from having to walk in on this.

“Dan,” Fernando begged, “Look, I know I cheated. I don’t have an excuse for that, but the problems between us go back much farther than us cheating.”

“Us?” Dan’s gaze was level, his heart a swirl of emotions as he looked at the man he had once promised to love, honor, and cherish until death.

“Are you or are you not sleeping with that intern?”

Dan glared. “Cesc is not an affair. Cesc is my new beginning.”

“You don’t get a new beginning until we finish this here!”

* * * *

Cesc lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Dan had a husband? Since when? Who knew about this? Did Dr. Terry? Oh, god, did his father know? No, if his father knew he would have been sure to take pleasure in letting Cesc know that his boyfriend was a cheater.

He rolled onto his side, clutching at a pillow. How could he have not know? How could Dan have not said? That wasn’t his Dan. His Dan wouldn’t have a husband somewhere and not have said anything…would he?

Maybe he didn’t know Dan as well as he thought he did, Cesc thought miserably. Maybe he was so caught up in the heady excitement of a new lover that he wasn’t even paying any attention to the signs.

But as he thought, he couldn’t think of any he would have missed. There was no sign of another person at Dan’s flat. Dan had taken him back there without hesitation. 

And Fernando. For the love of god, why did his husband have to be some six foot adonis? He buried his face in his pillow and started to cry.

* * * *

“Everything okay?” Cesar asked the following morning as he and Eden huddled around the coffee maker. Cesc had emerged, looking like hell.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Cesc replied. “I’m going to get something at the hospital.”

“Coffee’s almost ready,” Cesar said with a frown as Cesc made for the door.

“I want to check on the twins before rounds,” Cesc replied as he made his escape.

He walked the few blocks to the hospital, feeling the chill in the air that morning. He wasn’t going to let any of this get to him. He’d been a fucking idiot about Dan, and he wasn’t going to let it mess up his internship. He was interested in pediatrics, anyway, so he’d stick with Dr. Ramos. He could easily spend all day today with the twins. They would need seeing to, and he just wouldn’t even talk to Dan.

He had himself convinced as he made his way to the pediatric ward with a bag of doughnuts and two cups of coffee.

When he stuck his head in the room, he found Dr. Lampard asleep in a chair between the beds. Summer opened her eyes when he turned the lights on low.

“Cesc?” she asked with a groggy voice.

“Shhh, don’t want them,” Cesc said quietly. “I brought breakfast.” He helped Summer sit up and then presented her with a doughnut covered in pink frosting with rainbow colored sprinkles on it.

Her face lit up as she accepted it. As she ate, Georgie began to stir.

Once both kids were covered in sticky sugar, Dr. Lampard finally awoke. “Oh, Dr. Fabregas.”

“Morning,” Cesc said as he offered him the second cup. “How did we get on last night?”

“Very good,” Dr. Lampard reported with a yawn. “Georgie’s arm was hurting him some, so we had a bit of medicine for that, but Summer slept right through the night.”

“You two are so brave!” Cesc praised them as he offered Dr. Lampard a doughnut. The exhausted attending took one. “If you want, I can sit with them for a little bit.”

“We want Frank!” Georgie said rather disloyally.

Cesc nearly took offense that he’d been replaced in the affections of a couple of three year-olds, but when he saw the look of affection on Frank’s face as he reached a hand over to Georgie, he melted.

“Frank said Mummy isn’t coming back, but that we’re going to get a new home,” Summer said, a waver in her voice.

“We’re going to be together so it’s going to be okay,” Georgie said with a nod.

“We’ll make sure of that,” Frank promised. He looked a Cesc. “I’m sure you need to get to rounds. I’ll stay with them a bit more but I’ll let you look on them later?”

“Can’t keep me away!” Cesc said with a smile. As he got up Frank stood as well. He followed Cesc to the door.

“Have you talked to CPS yet?” Frank asked.

“Not this morning. They were going to let me know about a placement as soon as they knew.”

“Keep me in the loop, okay?” Frank said.

Cesc made his way to the main nurses’s station. He’d been so busy with the twins yesterday, he’d not gotten a chance to do much else.

“Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Ronaldo said. “My son is going to head home later, he asked for you to stop by.”

“Of course,” Cesc said. “His numbers look good this morning.”

“Yes,” Dr. Ronaldo said with an approving nod, clearly pleased that Cesc was already up to speed on his patients. “Dr. Ramos has a bone marrow transplant case he wants you to help with.”

“Great,” Cesc said with a smile, thrilled to have been asked. Thrilled to get as far as he could from brain surgery today.

“Oh, Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Ronaldo continued, “have you met the new head of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Torres?”

Cesc, so close to free, turned to see a freckled nightmare.

“We’ve met,” Fernando said dryly.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 34040

Day 19

Cesar and Eden were laughing in the locker room when a tired Oscar arrived. He’d taken his girlfriend to his flat last night and left her in the care of her over-bearing mother. He was on call tonight after being off for three days and she was not happy about it.

“Hey, how’s the girlfriend?” Cesar asked, and realized he didn’t know her name.

“She’s okay,” Cesar said. “Her mom is looking after her which she’s not best pleased about, but she can’t even get out of bed for a few days more so…”

“That sucks,” Cesar sympathized. He didn’t ask the question in his head. The why did she move in with you when you were with me Friday night?

“I know, but I can’t miss any more work right now. Dr. Ronaldo already thinks I’m the slacker intern,” Oscar lamented as he laced up his shoes. 

“Eden is the one who was hitting on his nanny last night,” Cesar said with a grin at Eden.

“I was not!” Eden protested. “She’s old, anyway.”

“She’s not forty!” Cesar laughed out loud.

Oscar watched the easy camaraderie between Cesar and Eden with a flash of jealousy. Oh, so Cesar had moved on to Eden already? Sorry your life is a fucked up mess, Oscar, but I don’t have time for you any more.

The pair left Oscar to his pouting and found Leo already checking out charts.

“A bleeding ulcer came in overnight,” he reported. There was nothing quite like the spring in the step of an intern who got to scrub in on a surgery on the late night shift.

“Nice,” Cesar approved. “Where’s Cesc?”

“Dunno,” Leo said.

“Is he okay?” Cesar asked quietly as Dr. Ronaldo approached them.

Leo shrugged as he hadn’t seen Cesc that morning.

“Dr. Fabregas is working on a pediatric case with Dr. Ramos and the new chief of oncology.”

The interns perked up. A new ass to kiss?

* * * *

Cesc said his farewells to CJ and then made his way to the room where Dr. Ramos’s patient was waiting. As he approached the door, his fears were confirmed. 

Dr. Torres was working on this case.

“Ah, there you are, Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Ramos said with a smile. “Have you met Dr. Torres.”

“Not formally,” Fernando said.

“Ah,” Dr. Ramos said as he checked out the attractive man. It was a shame he was wearing a wedding ring. “Dr. Fabregas is a promising intern who is very interested in pediatrics.”

“He knows my husband quite well,” Dr. Torres said.

“Who’s your husband?” Dr. Ramos asked in what he hoped was a casual tone. Why where all the hot ones already married?

“Dr. Daniel Agger.”

Dr. Ramos’s jaw dropped as Dr. Torres smiled at Cesc.

“Shall we meet our patient?” Dr. Torres asked as he stepped into the room. 

Inside was a young girl, who looked about seven, but her chart said she was eleven. She had a halo of blonde curls around her head that made her look positively angelic.

“Good morning, Freya,” Dr. Ramos said. “Dr. Fabregas, would you like to present?”

Cesc glanced at his iPad. “Freya is ten years old. Diagnosed with leukemia nine months ago. Dr. Ramos has recommended a bone marrow transplant to help her body combat the illness. Her younger brother, Leo has been identified as a suitable donor.”

Two anxious parents hovered nearby with a dark haired boy hovering behind them. “Dr. Ramos said this might help cure her,” said the mother.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cahill,” Dr. Ramos introduced. “This kind of bone marrow transplant has been highly effective in treating children with Freya’s illness.”

“Over a ninety percent success rate,” Cesc said as his heart went out to these parents. “And Dr. Ramos is one of the best.”

“It’s gonna hurt,” the boy said, dark eyes going wet with tears.

Cesc crouched down in front of the boy. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Leo. It is going to hurt.”

Dr. Ramos made an ‘oh-shit-what-the-hell-is-he-doing’ face as the mother, Gemma, held him closer, but Cesc went on.

“But do you know how much this is going to help your big sister?” Cesc asked. 

“Mummy said it could save her life,” Leo said.

“It really could,” Cesc nodded. “And it won’t hurt for a long time. It’ll hurt for a few days and then your bones will all heal up and you’ll never be able to tell it happened.”

“Will it leave a scar?” Leo asked hopefully.

“It totally will,” Cesc said with a grin.

“Cool,” Leo agreed, loosening his grip on his mother’s leg. She took seemed to relax as she ruffled his hair.

“We don’t want to make him do it if he doesn’t want to,” Gemma said. “We don’t want to be those parents who are so desperate to save a child that we sacrifice the other one.”

“Mummy, I want to do it!” Leo assured her. “I want to help Freya!”

“I know you do, champ,” the father, Gary said. 

“Dr. Fabregas, why don’t you take Leo down for his pre-op testing while Dr. Torres examines Freya?”

“Sure,” Cesc said as he offered his hand to Leo. The pair walked out with Mr. Cahill behind them.

“You’re a doctor?” Leo asked Cesc with a look. 

“I am,” Cesc said. “But I’m still in training. I’m helping out Dr. Ramos with your and your sister’s surgery.”

“Do you like being a doctor?” he pressed.

“Leo, let’s not be rude,” his father said. “He’s in his questioning phase.”

“It’s not rude,” Cesc assured him. “We learn about the world by asking questions, don’t we?”

“My teacher says I’m only allowed three each day.”

“That’s probably a good rule,” Cesc agreed. “It makes you think about the questions you want to ask, doesn’t?”

“You don’t want to waste questions,” Leo said with a sage nod.

“So do you still want to know if I like being a doctor?”

Leo pondered this for a moment. “Yes.”

Cesc grinned. “Then yes, I do like being a doctor.”

* * * *

Dr. Agger slammed into Dr. Terry’s office later that morning. “Why the hell did you hire my ex husband and not even bother to tell me about?”

John looked up from his computer with a raised eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware he was your ex?”

“We’ve been separated for a year,” Dan said. 

“So that explains you and the intern,” John replied with a judgmental look over his computer. He pushed back from his desk. “He told me the two of you were trying to reconcile. The reason I didn’t say anything to you was that from talking to him, I assumed you were already aware.”

Dan dropped into the chair in front of John’s desk, which was covered with paperwork. “I had no idea.”

“I can see that,” John said. “Look. I can see this has upset you, but there’s not much I can do right now. We were desperate for a surgical oncologist. He’s one of the best.”

“I know that,” Dan said with a sigh. “He’s an incredibly gifted surgeon.”

John leaned on the edge of his desk. “I’m sorry if this is going to be difficult for you, but I’d hate to lose you over it.”

Dan looked up. “I can’t leave. Cesc’s here.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 36030

Day 20

“No, you can’t split them up, they’re twins!” Cesc was arguing down the phone to the people from Child Protective Services. They had foster parents willing to take Georgie who was ready to be released, but were unwilling to take on Summer who would be in the hospital for several more days following her surgery. “No…no, I don’t care. Georgie is not leaving without Summer. I am not going to send away her only family days after losing her parents in a car accident! They only have each other!”

Cesc slammed down the phone and let out a groan of frustration.

Bojan looked over. “Problems?”

“They want to split up the twins. No one wants to take on Summer because of the recovery she’s facing. There are no grandparents. These kids have nothing and it’s not fair for them lose each other, too.”

Bojan frowned sympathetically. “That sucks.”

“Can we keep Georgie here?” Cesc wondered.

“They’re already wards of the state. CPS doesn’t look kindly on spare medical bills for a kid that doesn’t need medical care.”

Cesc leaned on the counter. “I wish I knew what to do.”

“Talk to Dr. Lampard. He’s invested in those kids. If anyone around here can get something done for them, he can.”

“And he can always get Dr. Terry to help!” Cesc agreed as he scampered off to find Dr. Lampard.

Bojan watched him leave and turned to see Dr. Puyol had walked. “You’re good friends with this new pack of interns.”

He shrugged. “They’re nice. And my age.”

Dr. Puyol grinned at Bojan. “There’s no shame in sleeping with an older man.”

Bojan flushed. “I’m with Dr. Messi now.”

“Are you?” Dr. Puyol asked with a wink. “Does he do threesomes?”

* * * *

“Lunch?” Eden asked as he walked past Cesar who was waiting for labs.

“I have to get these to Dr. Ronaldo and then yeah, I’ll meet you. Do we want to do really old guy’s room?”

“Who are you hiding from?” Eden paused and walked back.

“Hiding?” Cesar tried and failed.

Eden raised an eyebrow.

“Oscar,” Cesar said. “He’s been giving me these sad looks all day like I should somehow have sympathy for him for leading me on and then suddenly moving in with his girlfriend.”

Eden had heard the tale the night before of what had gone on with Oscar and Cesar. Eden would have loved a little fun with Cesar, had actually be hoping for it when Cesar had invited him back to “sleep on the couch”. He thought Oscar was insane for picking someone who didn’t want to move to Barcelona to help his career over Cesar, all six feet of solid muscle that he was.

When Eden arrived in really old guy’s room, he found Cesc was already there, his nose in a medical journal, uneaten sandwich in his hand.

“Oh, hey Cesc,” Eden said. “Hiding?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as he didn’t look up from his journal. By now everyone knew that Dan’s husband had not only turned up at the hospital, but was not going to be working there.

Eden didn’t have any placing words for him, but then Cesar arrived with his lunch, and being Cesar, immediately had the right words. “Cesc, you didn’t know. He’s the asshole who didn’t tell you. You can’t feel bad about this.”

Cesc finally looked up. “Can I feel bad that I met an amazing man who turned out to be a lying, cheating son of a bitch.”

“Well, you can be upset,” Cesar decided as he moved to sit next to Cesc in on of the visitor’s chairs as Eden took a perch in the window sill, “because that sucks, but you don’t have to feel bad. Man, we all feel for you. No one knew he was married.”

“Marriage is a waste of time,” Eden postulated as he made inroads on his turkey sandwich.

“Agreed,” Cesc said but Cesar, who’s parents were still happily married, frowned. “Not if you marry the right person!”

Eden rolled his eyes and Cesc laughed. “Oh, who’s the sentimental romantic, now?”

Leo was the next one in the room. “I thought I’d find you guys here. God, is that new oncologist hot or what?”

“Leo!” Cesar said. “He’s the enemy!”

“Oh!” Leo said with a look at Cesc. “I mean…god, those freckles are hideous.”

Cesc chuckled. “No, it’s okay. I mean, he is hot.”

“Have you talked to Dan yet? Found out what the deal is? I mean, apparently Dan’s been here for a year and no one knew. That can’t be a happy marriage,” Leo said. 

“Says the man who’s been fucking the hot nurse every five seconds for the last week.” Eden gave him a wicked look.

“Not that much!” Leo protested with a blush. “I mean…couple times a day…”

“A couple times a day!” Cesar squeaked. A nurse walked by and glared into the room at them.

“What?” Leo said. “He likes it.”

“You whore,” Eden chuckled even though he was more than a little jealous. Gah, how was everyone but him getting laid?

* * * *

“Frank, can I talk to you?” John asked as he found his husband, for once, checking on a patient and not in the room of those two kids.

“Sure,” Frank said as he finished making notes on his iPad and headed out after John. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk with you about something.”

“I assume this has to do with the phone call I just got from Child Protective Services?”

“Yes,” Frank said. 

John glanced at Frank as they walked down to an empty conference room and closed the door.

“Dr. Fabregas has been in charge of those orphaned twins we had come in this weekend, and they’re having trouble finding a foster situation for the both of them,” Frank began, but John cut him off.

“Frank, you volunteered to be their foster dad.”

“Wait,” Frank said. 

“No, wait. You agreed to take charge of two children without talking to me about it?” there was anger in John’s voice. “This isn’t like the time I came home and found you’d gotten a new couch. This is…”

“For fuck’s sake, John, listen to me! They were about to send Georgie away with a family. He’s ready to be discharged and they were going to send him away and leave Summer here alone, John. Unless someone was willing to take them both, they were going to be split up. I agreed to be named as custodian to keep them together. Georgie is getting discharged, but I’m going to let him stay here.”

“Yeah, that’s what CPS tells me. Did the fact that I’m your husband, never mind your boss ever cross your mind as you were taking charge of two children and offering to house one here that doesn’t even require medical care?”

“”It’s only until they can find a suitable situation for both of them! I had to do something before they got split up. And in case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t seen you all day and when Cesc and I tried to find you earlier, you were in surgery.”

John sighed. “You never considered me at all, did you.”

“You never consider me, either,” Frank shot back. Both men were tense, standing at opposite sides of the table, anger in their eyes. “You never considered me when you brought your old lover back here to do surgery. You never considered me at all when you decided that children were a distraction you didn’t need while you try to become a rich and powerful surgeon.”

“You didn’t want kids, either!”

“I always wanted kids!” Frank yelled. “You told me we’d put it off, and then put it off some how became never happening and I don’t even remember having that discussion. Maybe I’m sick and tired of working every hour of every day. When was the last time we even had a holiday?”

John was taken aback by this outburst. “You never said you were unhappy.”

“Would you have even listened if I had?” Frank said.

John didn’t have an answer for that.

* * * *

CPS had arrived with boxes of the twin’s belongings. Apparently, they’d been living in a flat that the rent was past due on, and when the landlord learned their tenants were dead, had taken most of the valuable belongings. But several boxes of clothes and toys had been rescued, along with a very important stuffed lion.

“Stamford!” Summer cried out with happiness as the toy was unearthed. The child started to cry tears of joy as she held it to her side. “I forgotten him and I thought he was GONE.”

Cesc had a blink hard a couple of times to hold back the tears as Frank unearthed other belongings. A bear was found as well which Georgie quickly claimed as his own, cuddling it tightly in his good arm.

“Are we going to stay here with you, Frank?” Summer asked as Frank made a sad pile of well worn clothing, most of which had to have been second hand before these kids had acquired them. They needed clothes and shoes and books…

“We’ll stay here in the hospital until you’re better,” Frank said. “Then how about we all take a trip to El Corte Ingles and see about replacing some of your stuff here.”

“New stuff?” Georgie asked, his eyes wide at the concept. “From shops?

“All new stuff,” Frank said. Even if CPS did find them a home together, they would need things. And Frank would make sure they had all the things they needed.

Cesc’s pager went off and he made a dash for the emergency room. He was still working with Dr. Ramos so a pediatric case must have come in. They were due for their bone marrow transplant this after noon. He hoped that it wasn’t something serious that would keep Dr. Ramos from the surgery. Those kids didn’t need another night at a hospital.

“Four year old girl, feel out of a tree at her house. Father reports child was unresponsive at the scene. Breathing shallow, heart beat steady,” the EMT was briefing Dr. Ramos as Cesc arrived. Cesc looked down at a pretty girl with a riot of curly blond hair who looked like she might just be sleeping if it weren’t for the collar on her neck or the panicked state of the man with her.

“You have to help her!” the man begged. He was holding a small boy who was crying.

“Dr. Fabregas?” Dr. Ramos said and Cesc turned to the father.

“We’re doing everything we can right now,” Cesc assured the man. “What’s her name?”

“Vitoria,” the man said, focusing on Cesc. “Please. She was fine. She was in the tree and then her brother started to yell for me and I looked away for a minute. It was only a minute.”

“Okay, let’s let the doctors do their work,” Cesc said as he glanced at Dr. Ramos who was checking Vitoria’s eyes. “If you can wait right outside the door here?”

The man let himself be herded back outside and Cesc returned.

“Let’s take her up for a CT. She must have hit her head pretty good,” Sergio said as he looked her over, only seeing a few scratches. “Cesc? Can you go with her and find me as soon as it’s done? I’m still going to get Freya and Leo ready for the transplant. Even if this little one needs surgery, I think we can likely take care of them both. And page Dr. Agger? If it’s a brain surgery”

“Of course,” Cesc said as he followed the orderly down the corridor. Page Dr. Agger. Yeah, that was exactly what he didn’t want to be doing today. He might actually rather page his father. Could he do that?

* * * *

Dan got the page to go to the CT scanner and didn’t think twice about it. He wanted distractions today. He didn’t want to think about Cesc. Or Fernando. Or Nick, god dammit, his best friend Nick who he’d known since they were kids. Losing his husband had been one of the most painful things he’d ever experienced in his life, but losing his best friend might have been worse.

He stepped into the room and saw Cesc of all people peering over the tech’s shoulder at the read out.

Cesc glanced up. “She’s got a bleed, I think.”

Dan glanced up at the small form on the scanner and then at the screen. “What happened?”

For several minutes, they were able to forget the personal shit between them and focus on the little girl.

“Dr. Ramos admitted her, but he’s got a bone marrow transplant he’s doing this afternoon. He wondered if you had time for this?”

“Yeah, I’m free,” Dan said. “Book me an OR and I’ll go talk to the parent.”

“Father,” Cesc said. “Fabio Coentrao. He’d down stairs with a little boy. Not sure about a mother.”

“Okay,” Dan said. “Walk with me?”

Cesc wanted to make an excuse, but he looked at the pleading in Dan’s eyes and agreed. They made their way down the corridor.

“First of all, I left Fernando a year ago,” Dan began. “He cheated on me and I left him. I got the job here and, well, I just thought I’d left that all behind me.”

Cesc’s heart leapt at this information. He loves you. He didn’t mean to be a cheat.

“Yes, we’re still married, but I’ve not spoken to him in over a year. I think we were both waiting for the other to make a call and neither of us did. Well, I don’t think I was waiting for him. He slept with my best friend. I can’t ever forgive that.” Dan stopped in front of the elevator and turned to Cesc. “You and me. Yeah, it started out as a one night stand. I don’t think either of us will deny that, but Cesc…” Dan reached for his hand. “You and I work. You…you are so amazing and I’m falling in love with you.”

Cesc gripped Dan’s hand. Yes. Yes, this was what he wanted to believe. But…. “You’re married.”

“I know,” Dan said with a sigh. “And he’s here now, and one hell of a surgeon.”

“Well of course he is. No one’s hot ex is every like, a bad doctor,” Cesc tried to joke, but it fell flat.

“I need to sort that out,” Dan said. “And I don’t want to lead you on while I do.”

Cesc’s heart collapsed again. “I’ll wait for you.”

“God, I hope so.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 36492

Day 21

The world at La Masia hospital in Barcelona fell into an uncomfortable rhythm. Frank spent all of his time with the twins; John spent all of his time with Jose. Cesc avoided both Dan and Fernando at ever turn. Leo and Bojan spent every moment in a closet some where. Oscar spent every moment looking after his girlfriend who’s parents had gone home, leaving him with the responsibility. 

The day arrived when it was time for Summer and Georgie to be released. Summer was still going to have to wear a neck brace for a few weeks, but it was safe for her to be up and about. However, there was no foster home ready for them.

“Where are we going to go?” Georgie asked, his little eyes wide and scared as he held Frank’s hand at the desk. The lady from Child Protective Services, a tired looking woman who looked about fifty but was probably not much over forty, stood with a clipboard.

“We do have two homes that can take them, Dr. Lampard,” the woman was saying as though this were in any way an acceptable situation.

Summer was gripping Georgie’s hand. “No. No, Frank, don’t let them.” Fat tears started to roll out of her eyes.

“Can they live with me?” Frank said suddenly, knowing John was going to be angry. Knowing there was no way in this world he was going to abandon these two to a system that didn’t seem to care if they were on their own or not.

“Dr. Lampard,” the woman said, not unkindly, “do you have any idea the responsibility you are taking on here?”

“I know,” Frank said as he crouched down and wiped away Summer’s tears. He carefully picked her up and she clung to him. “I know it’s a lot and I know I’m probably not really ready for it, but I have money and we have space and we’ll make this work.”

“Pwomise?” Summer asked with a hiccup as Georgie attached to his leg.

“I promise.”

The woman sighed. “We need to fill out forms. There will have to be home visits to determine suitability,” she began to list all of the steps that needed to be taken, but Frank knew the only one he was really dreading was talking to John about the situation.

In taking in the kids, he was likely giving up on his marriage.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 40006

Day 22

“Still no change?” Dr. Ronaldo stopped at the bedside of little Vitoria Coentrao. Her father had been here day and night since she’d been admitted. He’d left his son with his parents. Fabio wore that haunted look of a man who’s child was very possibly dying.

“Dr. Agger says she’s improving,” Fabio parroted what he’d been told. “The brain is healing itself and she could wake up any time.”

Or never at all, Dr. Ronaldo thought to himself as he took a seat in the spare chair next to Fabio. Children’s rooms always had two comfortable chairs as even in the nastiest divorces, both parents were by their side. As far as he knew, no mother had been to visit.

“My son has been ill since he was a baby. He was born with a heart condition and he’s been in and out of the hospital his entire life,” Dr. Ronaldo said.

“I’m sorry,” Fabio replied automatically.

Dr. Ronaldo waved away his condolences. “It is what it is. He’s a strong boy and I keep hoping that somewhere along the way someone will find a more permanent cure for him and I won’t have to do this any more. This sitting in a hospital room, feeling utterly helpless to make my child stop hurting.”

Fabio’s eyes welled up. “She’s all I have left,” he said. “Her and her brother. We lost their mother in childbirth, a ridiculous complication that you never imagine actually happens to people any more. So now I have these two kids and no one to help me out. My son is in Portugal with my parents because they’re the only ones who could take him. I haven’t see him in days. I’m off work to be here and every time I call in, begging for one more day, they grow less sympathetic.”

Cristiano reached out for Fabio’s hand. “They can’t comprehend this. They’ve never been through it and they can’t possibly understand it.”

“You’d think they could see,” Fabio said, “how hard this is without having to wonder if by the time we get out of here with a mountain of bills to pay, we’ll even have a home left to go to.”

“Don’t think of those things,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he squeezed Fabio’s hand. “Don’t let those kinds of worries bring you down. The only thing that matters is your daughter. Her getting better so you can take her out of here. And if you have to move in with your parents or with a friend or whatever, you will make it through because she will be okay, and that’s all the matters.”

Dr. Ronald’s pager went off and he was forced to let go of Fabio’s hand. “Sorry,” he said as he got up.

“No, it’s fine,” Fabio scrubbed at his tears. “I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to a whining father, Dr. Ronaldo.”

He looked down at the man and shook his head. “It’s not whining to worry about your kids. And please, call me Cristiano.”

* * * *

Dr. Ramos entered the cafeteria and found the delectable Dr. Torres sitting by himself with a medical journal open in front of him. He knew it was stupid of him, but he had the biggest crush on the freckled oncologist. The man was married.

“Mind if I join you?” Dr. Ramos said as he didn’t wait to be invited and set his tray down opposite Dr. Torres.

“No, that’s fine,” he said, looking up with a smile. “Boring journals anyway. By the time this stuff gets published any more, we’ve moved onto a new development. I mean, honestly. The publishing industry needs to catch up.”

“I know,” Dr. Ramos said as he stuck a fork into his salad. “I’ve got a case of a little boy, you know, Dr. Ronaldo’s son CJ?”

“I heard his little boy wasn’t well,” Dr. Torres said, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Yeah, we’ve been working with him since he was only a few months, and I keep thinking that there’s someone out there working on a new treatment, a new procedure that might help us out, but that we haven’t heard about because people are so busy doing new things that they don’t have time to publish them.”

“It’s frustrating,” Dr. Torres agreed. His own plate was nearly empty, but he took a sip of his coke and took a good look at Dr. Ramos. The man was an excellent pediatric surgeon, but he was also a handsome man. Dr. Torres wondered if he was single if Dr. Ramos would want to go out with him.

Who was he kidding? He was single. Dan was in love with another man and wouldn’t even look him in the eye. He didn’t know what he thought he was going to accomplish by coming here. Their marriage had been over since before he’d slept with Nick. Maybe it was time to face up to that fact.

But Dan had been the love of his life. They’d been at med school together in Liverpool. Spent heady, fun years together as interns and then through their residency. But they’d both gotten so tied up in their specialties. And then Nick had arrived in Liverpool and the three of them had spent time together. Innocent enough at first, but soon it had become just Fernando and Nick as Dan was obsessed with his work. Reading medical journals in bed rather than making love to his husband. And Nick had been a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.

“There are a lot of online medical communities out there,” Dr. Ramos was saying, “but who has time to keep all of that updated?”

“I know,” Dr. Torres replied. “Maybe we need to talk to Dr. Terry about making it some kind of protocol at the hospital. Maybe the attending surgeons don’t have time, but the interns could take care of it. You know, creating a data base on the procedures we do here and if someone from another hospital is working on a similar case, some kind of portal where they can log in and ask to know more.”

“So don’t upload the whole everything like a journal article, but the basics of it so that people could request more if they needed it,” Dr. Ramos thought aloud. “That’s actually a great idea.”

“I have them occasionally,” Dr. Torres smiled at him and Dr. Ramos forgot what it was they were supposedly proposing.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” Dr. Ramos blurted out.

Dr. Torres paused, his hand immediately going to the ring on his finger which he twisted. “Dinner?”

“I mean,” Dr. Ramos’s eyes darted down, “Just, to discuss these plans. Like, a pizza over at Guti’s.”

“Oh. Sure, yeah,” Dr. Torres said with a smile. Like Dr. Ramos was really asking him on a date. He was married.

Wasn’t he?

* * * *

Eden’s pager went off as he was on his way back to Dr. Puyol with some lab results. He hadn’t looked at them, but abandoned them at the nurse’s station as he ran down to the ER. The patient was in for a hip replacement and certainly that could wait a few minutes as he went to see what the emergency was.

The patient was a man in his fifties who was having a heart attack. Dr. Lampard had been available, as a cardiac specialist, but Eden had been called in to help. 

“Dr. Hazard, talk me through this,” Dr. Lampard ordered as he took over chest compressions from the EMT.

Eden began to rattle off the list of things that needed to be checked. Was the patient responsive? Was the heart able to regulate itself? He called out directions to the nurses and Dr. Lampard didn’t have to correct him once. 

When the patient was stablized and taken for a chest x-ray, Dr. Lampard fell into step with Eden as he followed the gurney to the exam room. 

“Nicely done, Dr. Hazard,” Dr. Lampard praised him. “You want to scrub in on this one with me?”

“Absolutely,” Eden said eagerly. There was absolutely nothing like the rush of practicing medicine. The power to save lives was a heady aphrodisiac indeed.

He forgot all about the lab results he was supposed to take to Dr. Puyol.

* * * *

John was sitting at his desk when the phone rang. “Hello?”

“Dr. Terry, we need you in the day care center. Summer is complaining of some neck pain, and Dr. Lampard is in surgery.”

John sighed. Frank had told him he was taking over foster care of the twins, and John hadn’t said a word about it. And of course they’d call him if Frank wasn’t available. He just wished Frank would have taken his feelings into consideration for even a minute when he’d done this. 

He thought about the night before, out to dinner with Jose. Enjoying a fine wine and discussion medical matters. This was the life he enjoyed. Not phone calls from the day care because snotty toddlers were crying.

But John went anyway, arriving in the day care center to find a mass of germ-ridden children running about.

Summer was sat with one of the teachers, Georgie hovering nearby. Both of them looked distrustful as John approached them.

“Where’s Frank?” Summer asked.

“He’s working,” John said shortly. “What hurts?”

The teacher gave him a look like he was some kind of a monster for snapping at the child. He sighed and crouched down to her level.

“Is it your sutures?” John asked more kindly. “Or does the neck hurt?”

“My neck,” Summer said.

“She’s been playing with some of the other children,” the teacher said. “It may have gotten jarred.”

It was John’s turn to give a look. Seriously? The girl had a neck injury and they were letting her run around with the other kids?

“How about we have one tablet for the pain and then we sit quietly?” John said pointedly. Honestly. This was a day care in a hospital and they didn’t have a clue.

“I sit with Summer,” Georgie said eagerly. “Will you read us a book?”

John looked at his watch. No he didn’t have time to read a book.

“Please?” Summer asked, turning big brown eyes on John. 

He let out a sigh. “One book.”

* * * *

Eden peeled off his gloves after his surgery with Dr. Lampard. In the end it hadn’t been too difficult, but it was good to be getting in with these things, taking part.

When he found his pager lying on the table, he realized it had run out of battery. Shit, he’d forgotten to put it on a charger. After getting cleaned up, he took it to the nurse’s station where an upset Bojan stood.  
“You didn’t answer your pages!” Bojan snapped.

“It was dead,” Eden shrugged. “What did I miss?”

“Uh, Dr. Puyol was desperate to find you about an hour ago with those lab results you were supposed to bring in a couple hours ago.”

“Oh,” Eden said, looking around for where he’d left them.

“Yeah, I found them,” Bojan said. “But the patient went into cardiac arrest in the mean time which Dr. Puyol could have prevented if you’d gotten those results when he asked.”

Eden paled. “Did he die?”

“No, thank god,” Bojan said. “But his hip surgery is off. You better go grovel to Dr. Puyol before he finds you.”

Shit, fuck, dammit, Eden groaned as he pulled up the patient’s chart on his iPad. The guy had been fine when he’d left. The lab results had been routine for pre-op.

But they ran them for a reason, Eden berated himself. They ran them to find things like this that they might have overlooked and killed a patient in surgery.

He found an angry Dr. Puyol working on charts in the break room. He looked up.

“I’m sorry,” Eden said quickly. “I got a page and I got distracted…”

The glare from the surgeon shut Eden’s mouth. For a man with a mop of curly hair, Dr. Puyol was one of the most intimidating men in the hospital.

“You fucked up,” Dr. Puyol said. “You fucked up and nearly cost a man his life. He may not be out of the woods yet. You are going to sit by his bedside, you are going to monitor his every vital sign for the next twenty-four hours, and if he so much as coughs, you are going to page me, do you understand that?”

“Yes sir.” Eden all but ran out of the room, sensing he’d gotten off rather easily. Shit, shit shit.

* * * *

Frank left the OR and saw the page from the day care. They’d only sent one and not even an urgent one, so it must not have been too bad, surely? But still, he was hustling when he arrived at the center. It must have been nap time because the room was hushed and darkened.

“Dr. Lampard,” the teacher said and rose from her seat.

“Everything alright?” he asked, eyes roving the room for the sight of his two blonde heads.

“They’re fine,” she said as she gestured to the left where Summer lay curled up on a mattress, Georgie at her side, toys cuddled close. “Your husband came and saw to them. Summer had some neck pain so Dr. Terry got her some medicine and read them a book.”

Frank frowned. “He did what?”

The teacher smiled. “He didn’t want to, I don’t think, but that Summer has a way of wrapping you around her little finger.”

Frank smiled and he started to have hope. Hope that maybe he hadn’t destroyed his marriage after all. That maybe those two blond angels had been sent to him for a reason.

* * * *

Cesc was tired of tip-toeing around everywhere. Avoiding Dan, running and hiding when every Fernando was around. He’d actually sent Leo into the bathroom one time to make sure Fernando wasn’t in there before he went.

“Hey, you want to go get a drink later?” Cesc asked as he approached Dan with purpose.

“Oh,” Dan said, taken aback slightly. “Uh…” The look in his eyes said that yes, yes he wanted to go and get a drink with Cesc. He wanted to grab Cesc and kiss him until their lips were bruised. Take him back to his flat and have his way with him until they both passed out from exhaustion.

“Just a drink,” Cesc said as he headed off in the other direction, not even given Dan a chance to say no. “Seven?”

Dan shook his head with a smile as Cesc disappeared around the corner. Cesc wasn’t taking no for an answer. And he loved that about him.

“What are you grinning at?”

Dan turned to see Dr. Ronaldo approaching him.

“Nothing,” Dan said even though he smiled. “Oh, did you hear that Vitoria Coentrao woke up?”

“She did?” Dr. Ronaldo said, and it was his turn to grin like a fool. “Oh, her father must be so relieved.”

“Yes,” Dan said. “She seems to be doing well. She responded to her father and I’ve sent her for a scan. It looks positive.”

“I’ll have to stop in and see him later.”

Dan eyed Dr. Ronaldo. “You seem a bit taken with Mr. Coentrao,” he said.

Dr. Ronaldo shrugged but there was still a smile. “I know what it’s like to have a sick kid.”

“Did I hear Dr. Ramos is looking into some new treatment options.”

“Yes,” Dr. Ronaldo said, but there wasn’t a lot of hope in his voice. “I know he’s always looking out for a new option, but CJ’s doing okay.”

Dan saw the defeat in his eyes. The defeat of a man who knew that he likely wasn’t going to get to see his child grow up.

Dr. Ronaldo left Dan and his pitying eyes and went to go see Fabio and Vitoria. When he arrived, Fabio was sat on the edge of the bed, helping Vitoria eat some mashed potatoes.

As soon as he saw Cristiano, his face lit up. “Vitoria! This is Dr. Ronaldo, Cristiano. He’s been one of the doctors looking after you.”

Vitoria’s eyes were suspicious in only the way a four year old could be. “Hello.”

“I’ve got a sone just your age,” Cristiano told her as he kept a distance. “His name is CJ.

Vitoria was wholly unimpressed. She ate her potatoes in silence.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Cristiano said as he started to back out of the room.

“Stay,” Fabio said as he carefully got up, following Cristiano.

“She wants her daddy to herself,” Cristiano said quietly as Vitoria eyed them from the bed.

“She’s a bit spoiled,” Fabio admitted. “I’m just…I’m so relieved.”

Fabio sagged and Cristiano reached out to put his arms around him. They shared a long hug.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Cristiano promised.

Fabio pulled back as he could tell he was about to cry and didn’t want Vitoria to see him upset. “Dr. Agger said she needs to stay for a few more day for observation, but he thinks she’s going to be okay.”

“Kids bounce back,” Cristiano said with a certainty he didn’t feel. He was happy for Fabio that his daughter was going to be fine.

“Hey,” Fabio said, “why don’t you bring CJ by tomorrow when he comes in for his check up.”

“It’s a date,” Cristiano said with a smile as Fabio went back to help Vitoria finish her dinner.

A date? Cristiano found himself thinking. When was the last time he had one of those?

* * * *

“I don’t know what he’s even thinking,” John sighed as he related the day’s events to Jose. “Taking on two foster children without even asking me?”

They had gone to dinner again. John had made the reservations for him and Frank, but Frank had to take the kids home and put them to bed. When John had gotten home from work yesterday, the guest room had been turned into a kid’s room with two double beds and a truck load of cuddly toys. 

“It’s like my opinions don’t matter,” John sighed.

“Perhaps this marriage has run it’s course,” Jose suggested lightly. “Perhaps it’s time to move on.”

“Get a divorce?” John said, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth. “But I still love him.”

“I know you do,” Jose said. “But perhaps it’s time. He’s chosen a new path, and perhaps you need to do so as well.”

“What do you mean?” John asked as he reached for his wine. An amazing 2012 Pinot Noir that he couldn’t even properly enjoy in this state.

“Come and work with me at Geneva,” Jose said as though it had just occurred to him. That he hadn’t been thinking about it since he’d arrived. That it wasn’t part of the reason he’d come. “There’s a place for you in the surgical department. You could work on the most interesting cases doing some of the most innovative work being done in the world today.”

John was tempted. God was he tempted. He wouldn’t even be chief of surgery any more. He could get back to the medicine he loved. But could he really do that? Leave Frank and La Masia.

“Don’t decide today,” Jose said, laying the final piece of the trap. “Think it over when you get home tonight.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 42006

Day 23

“This place is amazing,” Fernando said as he looked around Guti’s bar. A pretty waitress called Scarlet had taken their order and checked Fernando out so thoroughly, he was pretty sure he should have bought her dinner.

“Isn’t it?” Sergio asked as he glanced around. The place was filling up as it was Friday night. They’d placed their orders for burgers and fries and a couple of beers.

“So,” Fernando said as he turned back to Sergio. God, he was attractive. “Tell me about this medical documenting site you want to set up.”

Sergio began to outline his ideas. “We just have to start sharing more,” he finished with. “There’s no reason for me to be experimenting with the same things some doctor in Tokyo or San Francisco is doing, you know?”

“Yes,” Fernando nodded. “Especially with cancer treatments. Too often people are working with the same protocols, when one of them could change a variable and see how it works.”

“Yes,” Sergio said. “And I just know some doctor out there is doing something to help little CJ Ronaldo and we just don’t know about it. How many lives could we save if we just kept in touch with each other around the world on a regular basis.”

“You’re really invested in that kid, aren’t you?” Fernando asked, loving this part of Sergio. Loving that he honestly cared for every child he saw. 

“I know I shouldn’t, but Cristiano is a friend as well as a colleague. He’s one of ours,” Sergio sighed as he sipped his beer. “Dr. Fabregas has gotten involved, too. He’s been pouring over medical journals and sites to see if he can find anything.”

Fernando paused at the mention of Cesc. “Dr. Fabregas. He seems like a good intern.”

Sergio paused. “He’s got what it takes to be an excellent surgeon.”

“Did I hear his father is Jose Mourinho?” Fernando asked.

“Yeah, nuts. If I hadn’t already worked with him, I might have wondered if that had something to do with him getting into the program, but he used his mother’s name and I guess Jose didn’t even know he was applying,” Sergio said. “He’s a really good kid.”

Fernando sighed as he ran his finger through the damp ring his beer glass had left on the table. “Dan really loves him, doesn't he?”

Sergio gazed at Fernando. “They’ve only been together a few weeks.”

“I know,” Fernando said. “But I’ve seen the way Dan looks at him. Like he used to look at me.”

“What happened,” Sergio asked even though he wasn’t sure it was his place. He barely knew the new doctor and lusted after him like he was a tall glass of water in the middle of the desert. 

“We just got busy,” Fernando said. “Stopped making time for each other. And I just let it happen. I didn’t fight for him and then…” Fernando stopped and took a drink of his beer.

Sergio had heard that Fernando had cheated, which he always found to be just about the lowest thing you could do to a partner, but he could see in his eyes that it hadn’t been about hurting Dan. It had been about trying to save himself.

As he tried to think of something to say, he looked over Fernando’s shoulder and saw the last two people in the world that he wanted to at this moment.

“Shit,” Sergio muttered.

“What?” Fernando asked as he turned and saw Dan and Cesc walk in. Not too close to each other like they were on a date, but smiling at each other. “Shit,” he echoed.

“We can go, if you want,” Sergio said. 

“No,” Fernando said. “No, it…he’s made himself clear. Our marriage is over. He’s moving on and I should too.”

“If you want, I’m available for you to have meaningless sex with to prove you’re over him,” Sergio meant the comment to be light hearted, but realized it was a loaded statement as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Fernando met his eyes. “That would be a really stupid thing for me to do right now.”

“I know, just, forget I said it,” Sergio said and thankfully looked up to see Scarlet so he could signal her for another beer.

Fernando smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a tempting offer.”

Sergio smiled at him as Scarlet arrived. “Ready for another round already?”

“He’s getting over his ex,” Sergio said. “We may need several rounds.”

“Exes suck,” Scarlet sighed. “Has he moved on to some new, younger model? That’s the worst.”

“He has, actually,” Fernando grinned at her. “See those two at the bar?”

“Dan and Cesc? Dan is your ex…? Wait, you’re Fernando?” Scarlet’s brain whirled. “And you’re here with doctor loose hips?”

“What?” Sergio burst out laughing.

Scarlet laughed with him. She laid a hand on Fernando’s arm. “Dance with him. Trust me. It’s better than sex.”

“You’ve danced with him?” Fernando asked, his heart lightening even as they exchanged silly banter.

“I have,” Scarlet said with a grin. “He comes in here a lot of Fridays to dance with all the nurses and anyone else who happens along.”

“I didn’t know you danced,” Fernando said.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Sergio said as he slid out of the booth, taking Scarlet’s hand. Scarlet dropped her order pad and let Sergio lead her out to the floor.

From the bar, Guti watched the pair, never once dreaming of being angry at Scarlet for abandoning her job to have a dance with Sergio. If that Dr. Torres didn't wise up and cut in, he’d be the next one on the floor.

Across the bar, two others noticed the dancing. Dr. Loose-Hips indeed, Dan thought. He’d seen Fernando with Sergio when he walked in, and wondered at the emotions it stirred. It wasn’t jealousy, so much, as a touch of sadness. He’d given up on the marriage, and now it seemed Fernando had, too.

“You okay?” Cesc asked Dan as he reached across the table for his hand. Cesc felt so selfish in this moment, wanting Dan for himself and knowing that Dan still had a husband.

Dan turned to focus on Cesc. “It’s harder than I thought it was going to be. I thought that when I found them together, then, well, that was that. There was no going back. No way I could ever trust him again and it was just going to be over. And I managed to convince myself of that for almost a year.”

“I’m sorry,” Cesc said. “Did I push this…did I…?”

“No, oh Cesc, no. I hate that you’re in the middle of this. I shouldn’t have been such a coward. I should have filed for divorce a year ago. If I’d done that, then when I met you I would have been free to be with you.”

Cesc pulled his hand back. “You do what you need to do. But I came here to have a drink with my friend, and I’d still like to do that.”

Dan smiled. “You deserve better than this.”

Cesc shrugged. “I found you. And if I have to wait for a little while, I’m okay with that.”

* * * *

“Hey, I didn’t think you were on call tonight,” Cesar said as he stuck his head into the room where Eden was looking over his patient.

“I’m not,” Eden said with a sigh as he slumped in a chair. He kept having to pinch himself on the leg to keep himself from falling asleep. Good god, if Dr. Puyol walked in here and found him asleep, he’d get chucked out of the program for sure.

“I thought this guy was getting a hip replacement,” Cesar said as he read the chart.

“I fucked up,” Eden sighed. “I got distracted and I fucked up. I didn’t get his labs to Dr. Puyol and he had a heart attack on our watch.”

“Oh shit,” Cesar said as he came to sit next to Eden. He could have spouted out some platitudes about how everyone made mistakes and you couldn’t let it get you down. When a shipping clerk made a mistake, someone got sent the wrong auto part. When a surgeon made a mistake, people died. “How is he?”

“Not bad, actually,” Eden said as he looked at the vitals. “It was a minor heart attack, really, and he’s stable.”

“Will they be able to do the hip replacement?”

“Yeah,” Eden said. “In about a week. Which means an extended hospital stay.”

“Yeah,” Cesar said as he leaned back in his chair. “You want to take a break for minute? Get something to eat?”

“Dr. Puyol told me not to leave his side.”

“Not even to pee?” Cesar asked.

Eden grinned. “Well, there are something that are unavoidable.”

Cesar laughed. “How about I go get us something from the cafeteria?”

“You don’t have to stay with me,” Eden said. 

“I’m on call,” Cesar shrugged. “I got no where else I need to be.”

* * * *

Frank realized that they were going to need to get a nanny when his pager went off at 3am. John was home, and had awoken when the pager had sounded, years in medicine making it impossible for him to ignore it. “What is it?”

“One of my patients coded,” Frank said as he searched around for a pair of jeans.

“Mmm,” John replied, closing his eyes again.

“Are you okay with the twins? I can get them up and take them into the day care if you want. It’s open 24 hours.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, they’re fine here.”

“I know you don’t want them…” Frank said and John let out a long sigh.

“You changed our lives without asking me,” John said. “And now you don’t get to act like I’m the asshole here for wanting what we agreed on years ago.”

Frank held his tongue. He supposed John was right, but it didn’t make him feel sorry for even a moment that the twins were staying with them. “Will you be okay to take them in to day care if I don’t make it back.”

“I think we can sort it out,” John said.

Frank went to look in on the twins before he left. The pair of them sucking their thumbs, cuddled around the old toys they’d brought with them, all the shiny new ones abandoned on the floor. He kissed both of them on the forehead.

“Forgive John,” he whispered to them as he slipped out of the room.

* * * *

In the end, Fernando did dance with Sergio who was everything that he’d been promised. Dr. Loose Hips indeed. And he suspected that Sergio would have happily gone home with him that night, but he caught his own cab back to the hotel. He liked Sergio a lot. More than a lot. Sergio was beautiful and open and everything Fernando needed in his life after the last several years of loneliness and regret.

But that would wait. Tonight he would get a good night’s sleep, and on Monday, he’d call an attorney and start the divorce proceedings. He’d been insane to think that Dan would some how still be waiting for him after all this time. Dan had made himself clear when he’d walked out of the house with nothing but the shirt on his back and never come back again.

* * * *

The sound of crying woke John up that morning. He glanced at the clock and saw it was barely 5. Rubbing at his eyes, he sat up, realizing it was the kids. Oh for pity’s sake, Frank was gone for two hours and there were tears already.

He got up and trudged to the guest room. Looking in, he saw Summer’s eyes were wide and tear filled.

“What is it?” John asked in a low voice as Georgie seemed to be sleeping through this. Like he really needed two crying babies.

“I miss my mummy,” Summer whimpered.

John’s heart gave a lurch as he gazed down at the child. She’d lost her parents. She had nothing in this world but her brother. And John had given Frank crap about taking them in so that they didn’t get separated.

John went to her bedside. “I bet you do.”

She saw up, clutching that dirty old lion, and looked at John. “Why can’t she come back? Frank said she wasn’t coming back, but she loved us more than anything in the world, she said.”

John closed his eye against the tears. “I’m sure she did.”

“Why would she leave?” Summer whimpered.

“She didn’t want to,” John assured her as he gathered Summer to him. “I know that if she’d had a choice, she’d never ever leave you alone.”

“Who made her leave?” Summer asked, desperate for answers.

“It was just something that happened,” John said. How do you explain to a three year old that some times life just fucking sucks? “Come on,” he said as he scooped her out of the bed, careful of her still healing neck. “Why do we go get a drink and you can tell me all the wonderful things about your mother.”

“She was the best mummy,” Summer said as she laid her head on John’s shoulder.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 43503

Day 24

“Who are we going to see?” CJ demanded as Dr. Ronaldo walked him through the pediatric ward. They’d already been to see Dr. Ramos who’d pronounced CJ as recovered from his latest episode.

“It’s a friend of mine. His daughter Vitoria had an accident and she’s been staying here in the hospital. I though we could say hello and help cheer her up,” Cristiano said.

“Should we take her some chocolate? I always like it when people bring me chocolate in the hospital.”

“You and your chocolate,” Cristiano laughed as the arrived at the door. “Is it a good time?”

Fabio was in the room with his son, Henrique on his lap. His parents had come to town for a few days to help with the transition of brining Vitoria home. “Absolutely. Hey Vitoria, this is CJ.”

CJ went all over shy and ducked behind his father’s leg as Vitoria looked over at him from the bed.

“Hi,” she said tentatively.

“CJ wanted to bring you chocolates, but he’s really not allowed to have them,” Cristiano said as he peeled his son off of his leg and shuffled him forward toward the bed.

“Chocolate is my favorite but my heart is broken and it doesn’t like to as much as my mouth does,” CJ blurted out nervously as he stood at Vitoria’s bed side.

“My head broke,” Vitoria said. “I called out of a tree because I didn’t listen to Daddy to say be careful.”

“Where is it broke?” CJ asked fascinated.

“Here,” Vitoria turned her head to show a bald patch of head covered by a bandage. 

“Did it hurt?” CJ asked, eyes wide. “It hurts when my heart is broken.”

“I was un-con-should for days!” Vitoria said, looking to her father for support, as the idea of days, let alone “unconscious” weren’t really something she understood.

“She was, but she came through it like a brave little girl,” Fabio said with a smile.

CJ climbed up onto the bed carefully. He sat by Vitoria’s side and chatted to her about his broken heat. Fabio and Cristiano sat by the bed with little Henrique between them.

“Thanks for brining him,” Fabio said quietly.

“He doesn’t get to make a lot of friends,” Cristiano said. “He stays at home with my nanny, Lola, and never much gets to see kids his age.”

“Because of his illness?”

“Some of it,” Cristiano admitted. “Some of it is because his dad is scared that whenever he does things like other little kids, he might get too excited and stress out his heart.”

“It’s awful,” Fabio agreed. “I mean, she’s just been in here a couple of weeks and every time I look at that bandage on her head I just…”

“I know,” Cristiano said. He took Fabio’s hand for support and changed the subject. “Have you sorted out what you are going to do when she’s discharged?”

“No,” Fabio said. “I’m already out of sick days, I’m on unpaid leave right now. And she’s supposed to get discharged tomorrow and my parents have to get back to Portugal. She can’t go to day care…”

“Hey,” Cristiano said suddenly. “Maybe your two can stay with Lola. She’s a registered nurse so if there’s any complication she can be on hand to help.”

“I can’t afford a nanny,” Fabio said, defeat in his voice.

“Well then it’s solved,” Cristiano said. “Lola is already paid for.”

* * * *

Sergio adopted Cesc as his personal intern and set him to work on the database. Thankfully, Cesc had been pretty good at computers at school and was quick to pick up the task. The first registry he wanted to get going: pediatric heart conditions.

He was still at work late one evening when Dan came to find him. “Hey, are you ever going to sleep?”

“I have a doctor in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States who has a really similar case to CJ’s. He thinks it a viral condition and he’s sending me his notes,” Cesc said excitedly.

“Viral?” Dan frowned. “How?”

“I don’t know, that’s what I’m waiting to find out. A lot more things are viral than we’ve ever really known, I mean, they’ve found out that many cancers are caused by viruses so……why are you staring at me like that?”

Dan was gazing at Cesc, in love with the passion in his voice as he talked about finding a cure for CJ. Not just a temporary fix like they’d been doing for the little boy for years, but an actual cure that would let him grow up like any other little boy.

“Dan?”

“You’re so gorgeous when you’re inspired.”

Cesc blushed hotly. “Dan!”

Dan laughed. “So, gorgeous, can I take you out to dinner?”

“Oh,” Cesc looked at his watch and saw it was after nine. “I’m waiting for this email. It’s still afternoon in Atlanta and he said he might get it to me today.”

“You get emails on your phone,” Dan cajoled, knowing this was important to Cesc, but wanting him all to himself for a little while.

“I know,” Cesc said. His stomach reminded him that he’d skipped lunch he’d been so busy today. “Okay.”

“Great,” Dan said as he kissed his cheek. “We won’t go far.”

* * * *

Dr. Lampard and Dr. Mourinho had a case to work on the following day. The patient had been a long term heart patient of Dr. Lampard’s, but had presented with a brain tumor. As if the poor woman hadn’t had enough to deal with. The tumor was operable, but it was going to require a tandem effort of Dr. Mourinho dealing with the tumor while Dr. Lampard was on hand to monitor her heart and intervene as needed.

“We’ve not had much time to talk since I’ve been here,” Jose commented with confident nonchalance that only Jose was capable of. 

“I’ve been busy,” Frank said in a measured tone. Jose was not striking up a conversation out of interest. He wanted something. Jose always wanted something. Back when John and Frank were interns, and Jose had been the resident in charge of them, Jose used to stroke Frank and John’s ego in equal measure. He used to tell Frank he was going to be the greatest surgeon in the world while he was standing in the shower, while sneaking into John’s shower at the same time.

“I hear your family is expanding,” Jose commented.

“Yes,” Frank said as he itched to run away. Make an excuse. Why did your pager never go off when you needed it? He didn’t want to listen to this. The only question he wanted answered was when was Jose leaving? When could he have John back to himself? John hadn’t said a word about having to take care of the twins yesterday and he was hoping, maybe, just maybe John could come to love them the way Frank had fallen in love with them. Maybe they could adopt the pair and complete their little family.

“Well, it’s just a foster situation, isn’t it?” Jose continued, oblivious to Frank’s silent pleading.

“Yes.”

“Ah,” Jose said. “So John will be available to take the position I’ve offered him in Geneva.” Seeing the look on Frank’s face told him what he’d obviously been fishing for. “He has talked to you about that, hasn’t he? I mean, he seemed very keen on it when I offered it to him over dinner the other night.”

“As you said, we’ve been a little busy with the twins in our lives right now,” Frank said as he walked away. Do not give him a reaction he is looking for. 

* * * *

Leo was sitting on the floor behind the nurse’s station on the surgery floor, having found it was one of the best places to update his charts and not be bothered by people coming and going. They looked for the interns in the break room and Dr. Ronaldo had even found their sanctuary in really old guy’s room. With Cesc tied up on Dr. Ronaldo’s project, Eden on the shit list for screwing up with that patient, Oscar MIA looking after his girlfriend, he and Cesar had become the go-to interns on the floor. And while Leo was happy for the distinction, he also liked to take a breath every now and again.

“Did you hear about Bojan?”

Leo glanced up and saw two of the other nurses standing above him, oblivious to his presence.

“Yes, can you believe it? He’s such a slut.”

“He’s not a slut, he’s a damn lucky boy,” the other said with a laugh. “I mean, we all know he’s been with Puyol in the past, but now he’s dating Messi and still getting Puyol on the side.”

“He swore he was going to break it off with Puyol when he started up with Messi, but I guess he can’t resist that hunk of man.”

The pair giggled and walked away, leaving Leo sitting there with his jaw open.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count 45017

Day 25

“When are you going to be home tonight,” Ludmila all but whined as Oscar tied his shoes. It was five-thirty in the morning and he was headed out for the day.

“You know I can’t make a promise,” Oscar said with a sigh. “I want to be home for dinner, but I can’t say for sure. I’m already in trouble because I don’t stay over unless I absolutely have to.”

“You’re an intern, not a fucking slave!”

“It is what it is, okay? I’m an intern. We had this fight before I left Madrid and nothing has changed. I still have to work all hours of the day and you still have to accept that because getting angry with me isn’t going to change anything.”

Ludy’s eyes were filled with tears as she looked up from her wheelchair. “I came here to be with you. I didn’t intend to end up as a burden to you…”

“Ludy,” he tried to cut her off, but she pressed on.

“But I came here for you. I’d already quit my job. I was ready to make the grand gesture and move here for you.”

“I cheated on you!” Oscar shouted. 

Ludy fell silent.

It was Oscar’s turn to well up with tears. “I cheated on you. With my friend Cesar. You were in Madrid. I figured it was over. I figured that it was over and we just hadn’t gotten up the nerve to say it out loud.”

Ludy gaped at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“You’ve literally given up everything for me and I’m not even worth it,” Oscar said with a choking sob as he ran from the flat.

* * * *

Cesc got the page from Dr. Ramos and let out a groan. So close. He was so close to something. He knew he was just an intern, but he had notes. Notes from Atlanta, Manchester, Moscow and Dubai. There was something there. There was something in this which all of the doctors had done, but there was something more. He’d passed on the notes from each of them to the others, sharing what Dr. Ramos had on CJ, hoping someone, somewhere would be able to put it all together and make it work.

“I appreciate your dedication to this project, but we still have patients to see to,” Dr. Ramos said lightly as Cesc arrived in the ER. They had a small child who was in a car accident.

“I’m so close to something. I can just feel it,” Cesc said as he watched Dr. Ramos check over the child, and made himself focus on the little boy.

“Does this hurt?” Dr. Ramos was asked as he pressed against the little boy’s belly.

“No.”

“How about this?”

“No,” the boy said again, his eyes wide and sincere.

“Well, the good news is, I don’t think we have any serious injuries,” Dr. Ramos said as he looked up at the parents who hovered. “You had him in a car seat and that probably saved his life.”

“Oh thank god,” the mother sagged against her husband. 

“Dr. Fabregas, how about we have a quick CT to be sure because that was a pretty nasty impact, but if that comes back clear, we’ll get you some Spiderman plasters for those scratches and send you home.”

“Dr. Ramos? I sent you some files. The Dubai ones came in. If you have some time?”

“Of course,” Sergio nodded his head at Cesc. The young intern was so eager. He just wished the interns wouldn’t get there hopes so far up. Some times there really wasn’t anything you do.

* * * *

“Hey, you okay?” Cesar asked Oscar as his iPad clattered to the floor. 

Oscar sighed. “No. Really not.”

“How’s Ludy doing?” Cesar asked carefully.

“She hates me. She hates my job. She hates Barcelona,” Oscar sighed. “I told her about us…I mean, not that there’s an us, but that it happened. She’s sitting in my flat, trying so hard to make this work. She quit her job and gave up her flat in Madrid and here I am, having given up on her and cheated on her. It’s a fucking mess.” 

“I’m sorry,” Cesar said. “That does sound like a mess.”

“And I can’t even go out an blow off some steam because I’m officially the worst intern - and Eden tried to kill some guy- so I have to spend every spare hour here before going home and facing her.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Cesar said as he pulled Oscar into a hug. “You didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t tell you what she was planning, she just showed up and then life threw a wrench in the whole thing.”

Oscar sagged into the embrace. It felt so good to be held, even for a moment. Even though he’d fucked Cesar over as much as he’d fucked himself.

“I know,” Cesar said as he let go. “Why don’t you and Ludy come over to dinner some night? You know, when we have a free minute. Leo needs a break too, did you hear?”

“Hear about what?” Oscar said, already worried that Ludy wouldn’t like his friends.

“Bojan is sleeping with Dr. Puyol.”

“No. Way.” 

“Way,” Cesar laughed at his own dumb phrasing. “Leo over heard some of the nurses and when he confronted Bojan, he admitted it. Said he and Puyol weren’t really going out, just and on again, off again thing. Leo is crushed.”

“Damn slutty nurses,” Oscar said with the first real grin he’d had on his face in forever. 

“Damn slutty interns,” Cesar replied. “See what Ludy thinks and we’ll set up a date.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Oscar agreed. “It would probably do us both good to get out of the house for a bit.”

“And if all else fails, we’ll send her to daycare with Dr. Lampard’s foster kids.”

* * * *

Dr. Ramos read over the report a dozen times before he let himself start to catch some of Cesc’s enthusiasm. A course of targeted anti-virals targeted at the heart had been known to increase heart function in children under five, which had resulted in a strengthening of the heart muscle and a decreased reliance on routine hospital visits and procedures.

“He’s got two kids who’ve been medically cleared,” Dr. Ramos said. “Kids born with the same condition as CJ.” Dr. Ramos looked up over the iPad at Cesc who was all but vibrating.

“He’s sending us samples of his anti-virals,” Cesc said. “They should be here next week.”

“Then we better talk to Dr. Ronaldo,” Dr. Ramos beamed. “Great work, Dr. Fabregas.”

* * * *

Frank walked into John’s office with two plates and two cans of Coke under his arm. “You got half an hour?”

John looked up from his stack of paper work and saw Frank with a club sandwich and a hopeful look. “Of course.”

Frank set down the plates and offered John a can which was accepted. “Have any vodka for this?” he asked with a smile.

“Not at the hospital,” Frank replied and smiled back. The settled in to peeling the wrappers off the sandwiches and opening the Cokes. Frank had even remembered a straw, knowing that John didn’t like to drink out of a can.

When they had eaten a few bites, making small talk about things going on at the hospital, Frank decided it was now or never. “Look, I know that this thing with the twins wasn’t on our radar.”

“You can say that again,” John said.

“And I’m sorry. I should have said years ago that I wanted kids more than I’d realized. That when we’d agreed to put our careers first, I had been thinking for ten years, not forever.”

John was silent for a long moment. Deep down, he’d know that Frank had wanted kids. “You never said.”

“I know,” Frank allowed. “And it was never really the right time. But when these kids came to us, it was just right. They’re the right kids for us.”

John sighed. “They are pretty special.”

“Summer couldn’t stop talking about you last night. Wanted to know where you were, when you’d be home…”

“I was out to dinner with Jose,” John said, and realized what an ass he’d been.

“Jose told me about the job offer,” Frank said quietly. He didn’t want to have a fight, but he couldn’t keep quiet about this.

“He would, wouldn’t he?” John said, knowing Jose’s manipulative side as well as any one.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Because I never seriously thought about taking it,” John said earnestly. “I was angry at you, yes. I wasn’t sure what was happening between us. You seemed to be shoving a wedge between us and I didn’t want that to happen, but I knew that leaving now would be something I would regret for ever.”

“Do you mean that?” Frank asked. “Because…I thought. I thought you and Jose were getting close and…”

“All we ever did was have dinner,” John said. “He’s more of an arrogant, self absorbed ass than he ever was before.”

“Isn’t he?” Frank asked, repressing a grin.

“Yes. And while he’s an excellent conversationalist, you’re the love of my life, you idiot.”

Frank got up and was on the other side of John’s desk in a flash. They embraced tightly.

“I never wanted to push you away,” Frank vowed.

“I know that,” John said. “And now I suppose we’re going to have to adopt these two twins because if I have to see Summer cry again, it’ll be the end of me.”


	26. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 46302

Day 25

Lola tickled Henrique as she finished changing his diaper. “Who’s a cutie pie?” The baby giggled at her as Lola scooped him up off of the changing table that had be located in the attic when Cristiano had sprung the news on her that she was now in charge of three little ones rather than just the one. Lola didn’t mind so much, especially when CJ and Vitoria had started disappearing into his play room and entertained each other for over an hour while the baby took a nap and Lola was actually able to get work done on the novel she kept swearing she was writing but never actually seemed to make an y progress on. And the fact that Cristiano had added ten thousand Euro on top of the too much money he already paid her.

“Come on you two, we have a lunch date at the hospital!”

Small feet thundered down the hall way as they appeared, both in their jumpers already, holding hands.

“We’re going to see Dr. Ramos!” CJ announced happily.

Dr. Ronaldo had called that morning to say that Dr. Ramos wanted to see CJ and could Lola bring him over. After an interesting conversation about Lola also now being in charge of two other little ones, Fabio had been called and now the whole crew was meeting for lunch before CJ’s appointment.

Lola wondered what it was all about. CJ wasn’t due another follow up appointment for another two weeks and she’d been staring at the little boy since Dr. Ronaldo had called, trying to determine if he’d seen some cause for concern which was the reason he’d made the appointment, but CJ seemed okay. All little flushed as he and Vitoria had scampered around the back garden, but he’d sat down when he knew he was at his limits which was good because Vitoria needed to take it easy as well.

After the short drive to the hospital, Lola was happy to see Fabio waiting for them in the car park, and helped her herd them into the building.

“Are we being good for Lola?” Fabio asked as he held Henrique and Vitoria clutched his hand.

“Yes!” Vitoria said happily. “CJ has to see a doctor but I’m okay.”

“Better than okay,” Fabio squeezed her hand. He smiled at Lola who had been incredibly good with the kids. Both of them seemed to adore her already. “How’s your day been?”

“Good,” Lola said. “We had our morning nap and the kids have been designing new football scarves. CJ is a Manchester United fan and Vitoria likes Barcelona.”

“I know,” Fabio said with a smile. “It annoys my father to no end. He was born and raised a Benfica supporter.”

“Lola says that once we design our scarves she’s going to knit them for us,” Vitoria said.

“That’s awful nice of Lola,” Fabio said with a smile.

Cristiano was already waiting for them in the cafeteria. There was a bit of chaos getting the whole party through the line, but the fathers were patient with them, knowing that kids had to learn how to do things in public, even if it took three times as long as normal.

As the kids pondered over the drink choices, Lola found a moment to ask, “What’s this appointment for?”

“Dr. Ramos found a doctor who’s been treating conditions like CJ’s with some remarkable success. He wanted CJ in for a few tests to see if he’s a good candidate for a trial.”

Lola knew better than to get her hope up, but Cristiano was smiling and she couldn’t help it. “Maybe finally make him better? So he can do things like a normal kid?”

“It’s worked for other kids,” Cristiano said as the hope was in his voice as well.

“Daddy, we can have chocolate milk if we don’t get a treat later, right?” CJ negotiated.

“Yes,” Cristiano agreed and two brown boxes were quickly grabbed.

“Oh, sure, you don’t have to deal with snack time later,” Lola said with a smile.

“Maybe soon he can have chocolate milk and a treat,” Cristiano replied.

* * * *

“Are Dr. Torres and Dr. Ramos dating?” Cesc asked Leo under his voice as the pair of them waited for a patient in the CT room.

Dr. Torres was leaning over the tech to look at the screen and Dr. Ramos was openly gazing at his ass.

Leo noticed the situation as well and shrugged. “Who knows. Everyone in this hospital is fucking everyone else.” He was just a touch bitter.

“Did you break up with Bojan?” Cesc asked.

“Yes,” Leo said. “I mean, I get that some people don’t seem to care if you fuck around with everyone and their intern, but I’d kind of like a boyfriend I don’t have to share.”

“At least he wasn’t secretly married,” Cesc tried to console his friend.

Leo rolled his eyes. “Right. You two are like perfect.”

“Well,” Cesc smiled and blushed. “I mean…”

“Shut it,” Leo said with an elbow to the ribs. “Even Cesar and Eden seem to be a thing now.”

“I thought Oscar and Cesar were a thing.”

“That was just one time,” Leo said.

“Are you two done gossiping yet?” Dr. Torres turned an evil attending eye on the pair of them.

“Yes!”

“Good, come look at this scan.”

Cesc and Leo shared an embarrassed look as they came to look at the screen. Dr. Torres pointed out the tumor and explained to them the difficulties this case presented. He was an incredibly patient teacher with the interns.

“Dr. Fabregas, what are the criteria for an operable tumor?”

Cesc rattled off a list of things a doctor looked for when deciding whether to remove a tumor or attack it with chemotherapy. Usually, there was some combination of the two.

“Excellent,” Dr. Torres approved. “You can scrub in on this one.”

“Dr. Torres, quit trying to steal my intern,” Dr. Ramos chided and Cesc could have sworn he saw him grab Dr. Torres’s ass. “I need him for that consult on Ronaldo’s son.”

“So he can scrub in after,” Dr. Torres countered.

“I’m available,” Leo offered. Hello? I exist? He was thinking. Cesc was the golden child around here and he was the butt of all the jokes. Typical.

“Great, you can scrub in then if Dr. Fabregas is busy. Be sure you brush up on this surgery,” Dr. Torres said.

“Is CJ here?” Cesc asked as he made his way down the corridor with Dr. Ramos.

“Yes, I just talked to Dr. Ronaldo and he and Lola are with him in the exam room. Let me talk, okay? I know you’re excited and so am I, but we can’t make any promises right now. We have to run a few tests first and then we can see about scheduling him in for the procedure, okay?”

“Yes, Doctor,” Cesc nodded. Keep your mouth shut, idiot.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 47098

Day 27

“You invited Oscar and his girlfriend over for dinner,” Eden stared at Cesar over their lunches.

“Yeah,” Cesar said. “She needs to get out, you know?”

Eden shook his head. “You slept with her boyfriend.”

Cesar’s chewing slowed. “Yeah?”

“You really think she wants to have dinner with you?”

“I don’t think he told her who it was he cheated with,” Cesar tried.

“Oh my god, it’s going to be awkward as fuck!” Eden said too loudly in the crowed cafeteria. “Seriously, Dave, you’re too nice for your own good.”

“Don’t call me Dave,” Cesar glowered. He’d just been trying to be nice.

“Whatever man,” Eden chuckled as he went back to his pasta. “Can I come? I’d love to watch the drama.”

“Shut up,” Cesar said. For once they were eating in the cafeteria, off in a corner and Leo arrived to join them.

“Okay, poll,” Eden said as Leo set down his tray. 

“Eden, seriously,” Cesar interrupted him. “Leo doesn’t care.”

“I care,” Leo said. “Besides, whatever it is can’t be worse than having a nurse make an ass of you in front of the entire hospital.”

“Cesar asked Oscar to bring his girlfriend over for dinner.”

“Dude,” Leo said with a look. “That’s messed up. You slept with her boyfriend.”

“I told you,” Eden smirked.

“So, Eden,” Leo turned to him. “How’s your love life?”

Cesar burst out laughing as the smile slid away from Eden’s smug face. “Shut up.”

Leo grinned mischievously, but didn’t press the issue as he unwrapped his sandwich. He wondered how Cesar could have no clue that Eden had a massive crush on him. But then again, Cesar had been so worked up about Oscar, who was a hot mess, he didn’t seem to see what was hot, and single right in front of him. “Actually, what you should do is have Oscar bring her out to Guti’s some night. She gets to meet Oscar’s friends and you don’t have the awkwardness of being ten feet from where you fucked her boyfriend!”

“You’re a genius,” Cesar said. 

“Did I hear that Cesc and Dr. Ramos may have found a cure for Dr. Ronaldo’s son? how awesome is that?”

“Really awesome,” Cesar agreed. “I asked Cesc if he needed help with that database Dr. Ramos is setting up, and he said we were all welcome to put in some time if we had it. I know nothing about computers in general, but he said a lot of it was going to be just sorting out how the information was coming in and being sure everything was getting tagged properly so people can use it to find what they need.”

“Yeah,” Leo agreed. “All of this stuff is out there, it’s just a mess that most doctors don’t have time to wade through when they’re trying to discover the best treatment plans.”

Pagers went off around the table and lunch was abandoned. Cesar started to seriously started to wonder if he was ever going to get to finish a whole meal again.

* * * *

Dan was sitting in the on-call room where the attending surgeons could relax when they didn’t want to head home. Cesc was on call tonight as well, but he was on a case with Dr. Ronaldo and had disappeared into surgery. Dan glanced at the bed. He should get a nap.

The door opened and Fernando walked in. 

“Oh, hey, sorry,” Fernando said as he started to back out.

“No, it’s fine,” Dan said as he looked up from his iPad. “I was going anyway.”

“No you weren’t,” Fernando countered as he looked under the table. “You kicked your shoes off which means you were about to lie down and take a nap.”

Dan looked up at Fernando sheepishly. “You know me too well.”

“Very well,” Fernando said as he sat down in the chair opposite Dan. “How are you?”

Dan eyed him for a long moment. “I’m really good, actually. This hospital is excel.”lent. I have a great flat and, well….Cesc.”

Fernando smiled sadly. “Cesc is pretty amazing.”

Dan set down his iPad and gazed across the table at Fernando. “Where did we go wrong?”

Fernando sighed. “I don’t know exactly. I think we stopped putting each other first in our lives. We got comfortable. We got lazy. And we just drifted apart.”

“Why did you sleep with Nick?”

“Wow,” Fernando said, but as he looked Dan in the eye, he said, “I think I was trying to get your attention. You had time for everything but me and then Nick started to pay attention to me. And I was flattered and lonely and…” he trailed off. “It was stupid. It was stupid and then you showed up and I saw the hurt in your eyes and I realized exactly how stupid it was, but then you didn’t even stay and fight for me.”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fight for you, but I didn’t…I wasn’t sure what there was left to fight for,” Dan admitted. “You slept with my best friend.”

“Is that it? Was that it was Nick?”

“Both…I don’t know,” Dan said. “I just don’t think I can forgive that. Either of you.”

“I get it,” Fernando said. “But you need to understand that when you didn’t even yell at me, it was like you didn’t even care that we were over. That almost killed me.”

“I did care, fuck. Fernando you slept with my best friend!” Dan exploded. 

“And even that didn’t get your attention!” Fernando shouted back.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 48189

Day 28

Dan sighed. “If you wanted my attention, you should have said something. Talked to me. Made me listen.”

“You think I didn’t try that?” Fernando said. “The problem was we fell in love, and then woke up married an realized we never knew that much about each other.”

Dan couldn’t deny this. “I do love you, Nando.”

“And I love you,” Fernando said sadly. “But the marriage is never going to fix, is it?”

“No,” Dan admitted. “And that’s probably my fault.”

 

Fernando sighed. “I think we both can share blame here.”

Dan nodded. There was a moment of silence. Finally, he asked the question that had been burning at the back of his head for a year. “Have you talked to Nick?”

Fernando hesitated. “Occasionally.”

“Is he okay?” Dan asked. As hurt as he was by the betrayal, Nick had been his best friend forever. Losing him had been painful.

“He misses you,” Fernando admitted. “I know he betrayed you as much as I did, but I think he took it even harder than I did.”

“I changed my number,” Dan said. “When I left Liverpool and you both kept calling, I changed my number because I couldn’t listen to it any more.”

“Yeah, we noticed,” Fernando said. 

“We?”

Fernando shrugged. “Nothing else happened, but we still worked at the Merseyside hospital together, and well, we both were dealing with it.”

Dan knew it was selfish to be angry, but he was anyway. “What did he say when you told him you were taking this job?”

“He told me I was stupid,” Fernando said wryly. “He said there was no way you were taking me back. That you were the most stubborn man he knew and if you’d left with no forwarding address, it was over.”

Dan chuckled. “That sounds exactly like Nick.”

“He’s an ass, but he’s our ass,” Fernando said. 

“I miss him,” Dan admitted. And he did. He’d made good friends here at La Masia, but Liverpool had been his home. He missed Steven and Xabi. He missed everything about the city and the people. “So, are you going to stay?”

“Here at La Masia?” Fernando asked. “I like it here. And I signed a contract so I suppose John might have my ass if I up and walked out right after showing up.”

“Sergio is nice,” Dan said with a little smile.

“He is nice,” Fernando said with a laugh. 

“He likes you,” Dan said and he knew it was true. The pediatric surgeon was looking at Fernando like he was a cold glass of water in the middle of the desert.

“I know,” Fernando said. “But I’m still married.”

Dan took a breath. “Is it time? To sign the papers and be done?”

“I think so,” Fernando agreed. “Do you want me to…?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Dan said. “I’m the one who left, after all.”

“No more blaming,” Fernando said firmly. “We both fucked up.”

* * * *

“Is it going to hurt?” CJ asked with a very grown-up air. Cristiano ruffled his hair, knowing the boy had spent far too much of his life in hospitals and knew the kinds of questions to ask before procedures.

“That’s the best part,” Dr. Ramos told him. He was holding an iPad with a picture of a heart. “We think that the weaknesses here in your heart are viral. We have a course of medicines we’re going to give you as injections and we won’t even have to cut you open.”

“I don’t mind shots,” CJ said with a nod. When you’d had open heart surgery, a needle didn’t scare you any more.

“What we’ll need to do over the course of the next few weeks is administer the shots every three days. When CJ is in for the shot, we’ll run scans and tests to see how it’s progressing.” 

Cesc was stood behind Dr. Ramos, not talking as ordered, but also smiling like a bit of a fool. The more he read on this treatment, the more sure he was that this was going to be successful. 

“He won’t need to be admitted?” Cristiano asked. 

“No,” Dr. Ramos said. “He will, of course, need to be monitored, but the first sign of a problem will be a fever, which you or Lola will catch. If you bring him in then, that’s more than enough time for us to provide treatment.”

“I get fevers a lot,” CJ said. “I wake up and I tell Lola or Daddy.”

“You’re very smart to do that,” Dr. Ramos said with a smile. “Which is why I think you can stay at home.”

“It won’t hurt Vitoria or Henrique, will it?” CJ asked, worried about his new friends who were in the waiting room with Lola.

“Nope. The only think this will affect is your heart. And once the virus has been destroyed, your heart will grow bigger and stronger like it’s supposed to.”

“And then no more surgeries?” CJ said with a childish enthusiasm that was a beautiful thing.

“Never ever again,” Cristiano said as he pulled CJ close to him and willed himself not to cry.

Cesc was just about vibrating, but he bit his lip. Dr. Ramos smiled at him. “Dr. Fabregas? You want to take CJ to get a blood test while I prep the first dosage?”

“Sure!” Cesc said with a wide smile.

“Daddy, I can go with Dr. Fabregas. You can talk to Dr. Ramos if you want,” CJ said, knowing that his father often liked to talk to doctors when he wasn’t around, even though CJ was a big boy and he could handle the real information.

“Okay,” Cristiano said with a smile as CJ hopped down from the exam table and took Cesc’s hand.

“Daddies worry a lot,” CJ confided in Cesc as they made their way down the corridor. “Does your daddy worry about you?”

Cesc looked up and saw Jose standing at the nurse’s station, consulting with Dr. Terry over a chart.

“My daddy spends a lot more time worrying about himself than me.”

“That’s bad,” CJ said sagely. By this time they had arrived within earshot of Jose. “Daddies are supposed to look after you. It’s their most important job.”

Cesc caught Jose’s eye as Cesc replied. “I agree, CJ. If you’re going to have a kid, you should make them the most important part of your life.”

“My daddy does,” CJ agreed. “But he’s the best Daddy there is.”

Jose looked away, talking to Dr. Terry again, but Cesc smiled to himself. A four year-old had more sense than his fifty year old father.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit...felt I had to post something!

Day 29

Lola watched CJ play blocks with Vitoria, Henrique sitting nearby, chewing on the edge of a block. He’d had his treatments for two weeks now, and had no sign of any kind of side effects Dr. Ramos had told them to look for.

“Lola,” CJ said patiently. “If you want to play, you can.”

Lola smiled. “I’m reading my book.”

“You’re staring.” CJ hopped to his feet and scampered over to Lola. “Can we go to the park?”

“We went to the park this morning,” Lola said. “You’re actually supposed to be resting.” CJ had been up and about this week twice as much as he usually did. And Lola didn’t want to be hopeful, but even his color was better. There was a healthy glow to his cheeks that he’d never had before.

“I want to go to the park,” Vitoria chimed in as she too abandoned the blocks. “Park!”

“Park!” CJ echoed.

“Alright, alright, park!” Lola smiled. “Go get your shoes on.” In truth, it was a lovely sunny day and it was a shame to make the kids stay inside. She went to pick up Henrique who didn’t seem to care where they were, as long as someone paid attention to him. 

She looked at her watch. They could only stay an hour. She had to get dinner started as Fabio came over most evenings after work to get the kids and stayed for dinner, with Cristiano often home to join them. Lola didn’t mind so much as Cristiano seemed quite taken with Fabio and Lola was so happy to see it. And now, maybe, with CJ getting better, life might finally get good for Cristiano.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 50116
> 
>  
> 
> May not be the end. But the end of the daily binges...

Day 30 - Fin

Cesc was looking over CJ’s numbers with a buoyant heart. Every time the little boy was in, his heart was stronger. Dr. Ronaldo reported that he was far more active and had started begging to be allowed more chocolates because he could handle it now. He wasn’t completely out of the woods, but the treatment was working far better than any of the surgeries or other medications. Dr. Ramos was keeping copious notes and Cesc was making sure they were all getting added to the database.

So far, the database had been a huge success. Hospitals all over the globe were happily getting involved. Interns around the world we being set to updating, and other databases were being consolidated into the one location. Cesc had contacted a data warehousing firm, but funding was going to be needed to further the project.

“Grant applications suck,” Cesc moaned as he leaned against the counter of the nurses’ station as Bojan looked at the computer screen.

“What does that even mean? Pro-valuate rate of monetary dispersion?” Bojan asked with a puzzled look.

“I have no idea. I have a medical degree, not an accounting one!” Cesc sighed as he leaned back in the chair. “Who do we know that is good at this crap?”

“Dr. Terry?” Bojan suggested. “I bet he does that kind of stuff.”

Cesc got out of his chair, shutting down the form and heading toward Dr. Terry’s office. He was usually in at this time of morning, catching up on his paperwork after rounds and before the day’s surgeries.

When Cesc knocked on the door, he heard giggling. 

“Come in.”

Cesc opened the door and peered in to find Summer and Georgie lying on the floor with coloring books. “Hi Dr. Fabregas!” Summer called.

“Sorry,” Dr. Terry said as he stood. “They wanted to help me work this morning.”

Cesc grinned at the scene. He’d heard that Dr. Lampard and Dr. Terry were going to adopt the two and he couldn’t be happier. “I bet they’re a big help.”

“We’re taking care of the coloring,” Georgie happily informed him.’

“And you’re doing a great job at it,” Cesc praised.

“What can I help you with?” Dr. Terry asked.

“I’ve got this application for a grant to help fund our database, but I have no idea what I’m doing on it and I don’t want to mess up our chances on this because I don’t do the application correctly.”

Dr. Terry nodded in agreement. “Do you know who’s really good at those things?”

Cesc shook his head.

“Your father.”

Cesc stilled for a moment, looking at Dr. Terry. Was he kidding?

“Your Daddy works here?” Summer asked as she stood up, carrying a finished picture over to Cesc.

“Uh…yes,” Cesc said as he looked down at the scribbled bunny she was offering him. “Is this for me?”

“Yes,” Summer said as she handed it over and ran back to her book.

“Thank you,” Cesc said as he looked at it, and then back up at Dr. Terry.

“I know,” Dr. Terry said. “But he really is. He’s only going to be here a few more days, but he is excellent at grant applications. I don’t think we were ever turned down when he was working here, and grants helped build the clinic he’s running in Geneva.”

Cesc nodded. “I’ll speak with him.”

“He does mean well,” Dr. Terry said kindly. “Maybe you just need to give him a break.”

Cesc nodded. He supposed if Dan and Fernando could finally sit down and have a talk about what failed in their relationship, maybe he could give his father another chance. “Thank you, Dr. Terry.”

“BYE DR. FABREGAS!” the twins called as Cesc left the office.

* * * *

Cesc found his father in one of the conference rooms, talking to his hospital in Geneva on Skype.

He waved Cesc in as he talked, discussing a patient he’d seen before his stay who’d been in to see another of the doctors as a follow-up.

“Yes, I agree, those numbers seem fine. Book him to come back and see me next month,” Jose was saying. “Good. Okay. I’ll see you all next week.” He closed out the program and looked at Cesc. “Son. What can I do for you?”

Cesc took a breath. “I’m working on a grant application for the database Dr. Ramos started up, and I need some help. I’m not very good at knowing exactly what the application is asking for, and Dr. Terry said you might be able to help.” 

“Let’s have a look at what you’re doing,” Jose offered. 

He let Cesc have the laptop he was using, and Cesc pulled up the grant application he was working on. He talked with Jose about the project, and Jose helped Cesc craft the application, knowing all the finessed ways you could say things to make the grant people want to support your project. 

When they finished, Cesc sat back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jose replied as he gazed at his son for a long moment. “This is an excellent project you and Dr. Ramos are working on. This kind of thing should have been put in place ages ago. In this period of technology, it’s nearly malpractice that we don’t coordinate more around the world our efforts to care for patients.”

Cesc shrugged. “True, but we’re all so busy taking care of patients, and we’ve made the charting and other paperwork out to be the enemy of our jobs, so that when it comes to something like this, no one want to take on more admin at the expense of patient care.”

“You are very right,” Jose nodded. “And this is the kind of project that will look good on your resume as you pursue a residency. Just don’t let your surgical training fall behind.”

Cesc bristled for a moment at the criticism, but then took a breath. His father meant well. “I’m trying not to. Dr. Ronaldo keeps on top of me.”

“Good,” Jose approved. “I am leaving Barcelona at the end of this week.”

“I heard,” Cesc said. “Maybe we should try dinner again, before you go?”

“I would like that,” Jose agreed with a smile. The was a moment’s pause before Jose added. “I know I have not been the best father to you, but please know I am proud of the things you have accomplished.”

Cesc smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

* * * *

“This is insanity,” Eden muttered as Oscar wheeled Ludy into Guti’s bar. They were having a party to celebrate Cesc’s grand application being successful and many of the surgeons from the hospital were going to be in attendance.”

“I won’t even talk to her,” Cesar muttered back as he rose to welcome the pair. They’d taken a table in the corner of the restaurant, so that Ludy could park her wheelchair out of the way and join the crowd at the table.

Oscar made introductions around the table. Cesc and Dan had already arrived and sat with Sergio and Fernando who were currently pretending weren’t a couple, but the hospital was about to spontaneously combust with the sexual tension between them. Cesc and Sergio sat together, putting space between the divorcing pair, but it was all amicable.

“It is so nice to finally meet you all,” Ludy said with a smile. Oscar had reported that after their blow up, both of them had started to make more of an effort to make the relationship work. Ludy had made a few friends at the rehab center she’d been going to three times a week, and Oscar was hopeful they’d turned a corner.

Dr. Terry and Dr. Lampard had sent their regrets that they would not be able to join the party, but they had a meeting with the attorney’s about the adoption in the morning, so John had sent a deposit to Guti to keep the party watered throughout the evening. 

Bojan was at the table, sitting near Leo and giving him puppy eyes.

“Leo,” Eden nudged him as Scarlet was taking the order for the first round a drinks. “Take pity on him.”

“No,” Leo said as he tried to ignore the look.

“He never was with Dr. Puyol. Not since you. It was all an ugly rumor,” Eden nudged him again. 

“But he had been with him,” Leo muttered.

“So you’re going to punish him for that?”

“Shut up.”

Cesar leaned into the conversation from the other side of Eden. “We all took a vote. Fuck him.”

“Me?” Leo said with a look. “Why don’t the two of your just get it on and put us all out of our misery??”

Eden looked at Cesar and they both grinned. “I dunno, Dave. What do you reckon?”

“I think I could get involved with that.”

“THANK YOU!” Cesc called across the table.

The interns all laughed, and even Oscar smiled. It had been a mistake for him and Cesar to hook up, but Cesar was his friend and he approved of Eden. 

The drinks flowed as pizza was consumed and every one talked and had an good time. Guti came over to join them all at one point, encouraging them all to dance and bringing as many drinks they wanted. Cesc looked around the table and was happy that in the short time he'd been at Barcelona, he’d managed to find himself a new family. And he’d talked to his father twice since he’d left Barcelona, and Cesc was hopeful that even if his father and him would probably never be close, at least they could be on speaking terms. 

Yes, life was good right now. Really good.

“Is this a private party?”

Cesc looked up and saw a tall, gorgeous blond man standing at the edge of the table. His eyes were on Dan.

Dan looked over. “Nick? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Good to see you, too.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan confronts Nick and Fernando is miserable.

Chapter 31

Standing out side the bar in the balmy evening Dan looked at his former best friend. “What are you doing here?” 

Nick sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “I talked to Fernando. He said you and him were better…I thought…”

Dan leaned on the wall as he tried to process what he was feeling. “I haven’t forgiven him. I want to, but I haven’t and I don’t know if I can.”

“You don’t forgive me, either,” Nick said.

Dan looked at him. “What he did to me was horrible. But you…you were my best friend. You were the one who is supposed to look after me. We’ve had each other’s backs since we were kids and you slept with my husband.” Dan’s voice started to crack. Somehow in his heart, the betrayal had been far worse.

“I’m sorry,” Nick said, his eyes filling with tears. “I’ve been sorry for three hundred and seventy eight days. Dan…I’m sorry.”

Dan shook his head. “No. You don’t get to be upset. You’re the one who made a choice. You’re the one who destroyed our friendship.”

“I’m SORRY,” Nick yelled. “I hate myself enough for the both of us. But I miss you, dammit. You’re my best friend I’ve every had in my whole life and I fucking miss you.”

“I MISS YOU TOO,” Dan shouted back. “I lost everything! EVERYTHING.”

They were starting to get strange looks from passersby, but neither of them noticed. 

“I know! And I can’t fix it, but please, please can I have another chance? You gave Fernando another chance,” Nick begged.

“I accepted the fact that Fernando is back in my life. He’s not even really what I’d call a friend right now. I’ve moved on. I have Cesc and he doesn’t make me cry!”

Nick took a shuddering breath. “Please?”

Dan blew out the air in his lungs. “I swear to god if you tell me you’ve taken a job at La Masia I am moving back to Liverpool.”

“Not exactly,” Nick said as he wiped at his eyes and gave Dan a cheeky look. One that said all too well Nick had stolen a bottle of liquor out of his parent’s cabinet and was going to let Dan take the rap for it.

“What?”

“It’s a case Dr. Terry called me about.” Nick was a top class plastic surgeon and was often called in to consult on special cases. 

Dan sighed. “Of course you are.”

“Dan?” 

They both turned and saw Cesc hovering in the doorway, concern on his face. He was aware of what had gone on, what had caused Dan to flee Liverpool and his marriage, but he didn’t know many of the details. Dan never wanted to talk about it, and Cesc could understand that.

Dan’s heart ached to see Cesc’s uncertain face. Dammit, Nick ruined his last relationship, he didn’t get to ruin this one as well. A tiny voice in his head reminded him that things hadn’t been great before the cheating, but that didn’t excuse Nick or Fernando.

“I have to go,” Dan said to Nick. “Cesc, this is Nick.”

“Hi,” Cesc said. “We can just leave…if you want?”

“No,” Dan said firmly. “Nick was just leaving. We have your grant to celebrate.”

Cesc smiled and reached a hand out to Dan who took it, turning his back on Nick. They returned to the group, but Dan noticed that the chairs once occupied by Fernando and Sergio were now occupied by a couple of giggling nurses.

“They left,” Dan filled him in as they took their seats again. Eyes darted toward the pair, but no one was bold or drunk enough yet to ask.

Oscar was trying to have a good time. Ludy was chatting to Bojan about being a nurse. Ludy was asking some questions that kind of made Oscar cringe. After being with him for years, how did she actually know so little about the medical profession?

But the thing that was really getting on his nerves was across the table. Eden and Cesar were leaning in to each other, deep in conversation about something. Oscar couldn’t see under the table, but from the angle of Eden’s arm, his hand was likely on Cesar’s thigh. What were they even doing?

“Alright?” Ludy asked, turning her attention back to him. She was smiling and now Oscar felt guilty.

“Sure, great,” he said. “You need another drink?”

“I should probably wait until we eat,” she said with a smile. “I don’t think you’re going to want to have to carry me back to the flat.”

“That’s what the wheelchair is for,” he said and smiled in return. Come on, Oscar. She’s making a real effort here. You’re the douchebag who cheated on her and she’s trying.

* * * *

Sergio sat on the couch in Fernando’s hotel room. He’d not gotten a flat yet, having hoped that perhaps there was still a chance with Dan, but reality had sunk in and yet he’d still not gotten around to flat hunting. He was pacing the suite, unable to settle.

“What is he even doing here? I mean, I told him me and Dan were talking again, but I didn’t mean he should come here. Dan’s still so angry about everything,” Fernando was repeating himself now.

“You want to order some room service?” Sergio asked, having no words to offer that would do anything to console Fernando. He knew he needed to be patient. He knew Fernando wasn’t over Dan. Wasn’t over the end of his marriage. And now this. The literal face of his betrayal was in town and wanting to make nice.

Fernando looked at him for a moment, confused at the question. “Why?”

“Because it’s ten and we missed out on the pizza at the bar?” Sergio said, the corners of his mouth quirking up at Fernando’s cluelessness.

“Oh. Yeah,” Fernando said. “God, I’m sorry. I’m selfish.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “I was always selfish I suppose.”

“What do you mean?” Sergio asked as he stood, looking for the room service menu.

“Me…Nick…Dan. God, I got so tied up in myself and my feelings I never once considered either of them,” Fernando slumped down onto the sofa Sergio had just abandoned. “And now here I am whining to you when you just wanted to have a fun night out.”

“You’re not selfish. Wanting to take care of yourself is not selfish,” Sergio bypassed the menu and went to the mini bar. 

“But I was married. You don’t get to think about only yourself when you’re married, or in a relationship.”

“Was Dan taking care of you?” Sergio asked as he produced bottles and ice.

“He shouldn’t have to take care of me.”

“Now wait a minute,” Sergio said with a frown. “You’re meant to think of him first and he doesn’t have to think of you?”

“Wait, no, I don’t know!” Fernando wailed and buried his face in his hands.

Sergio carried two glasses back to the couch. He set them on the coffee table. “Hey, look at me.”

Fernando dropped his hands to look at him through tear stained eyes. 

“You made a mistake, yes. You did something that caused the end of your marriage, and yeah, that sucks and you hurt a lot of people.”

“This is making me feel better?” Fernando asked with a shaky laugh.

“But,” Sergio said as he took Fernando’s hands. “You don’t have to punish yourself forever. You learn from it. You apologize if they’re willing to hear it and if they aren’t, fuck them, you know? Grow and be a better person in your next relationship.”

“Who would be stupid enough to want be in a relationship with me,” Fernando sighed heavily.

Sergio chuckled. “Okay, now you’re just fishing for compliments.”

Fernando laughed. “Maybe.”

Sergio grinned. “You’re gorgeous, alright? And funny and kind and generous.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Fernando said as he leaned in.

Their lips met in a perfect, soft kiss. As Fernando parted his lips and pressed in, he vowed to himself he would not, ever take Sergio for granted.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden has ambitions.

Chapter 32

“So, I hear you’re back on with Dr. Messi.”

Bojan looked up from his computer and saw Dr. Puyol looming. “Yes, and stop telling people we’re still together.”

“We never broke up.”

“We never dated,” Bojan rolled his eyes. “Fucking in the on call room doesn’t not count as being in a relationship.”

“You never said you wanted an actual relationship,” Carles said with a little pout on his face. 

“Neither did you,” Bojan shot back.

“Dr. Puyol?”

Carles straightened up as a tall blond man approached him. “Yes?”

“Hello, I’m Dr. Bendtner? We spoke on the phone about the Beckham case?”

“Oh, yes,” Carles said as he offered a hand to the man. Bojan’s eyes were wide because he’d been at the bar the night before, and everyone saw him come in and confront Dan. By the end of the evening everyone knew he was the man Dr. Torres had slept with.

“I’ve not had a chance to meet the patient yet, but I thought we should talk through the case before we meet with him. I like to have an idea what I’m looking at, well, before I get a look at it,” Nick said with a smile. In his years in plastics, he’d come to know that the surface was only about 10% of what it took for a successful surgery. The bone and muscle underneath had to be in order for the skin to have any chance of looking good over it. A good orthopedic surgeon was essential for him to do his work.

And no, while you’re asking, it’s not all about vanity. Nick didn’t do nose jobs and tummy tucks. He helped put people back together after surgeries and accidents so they could live contented, productive lives. Because contrary to what people tried to tell you, it did matter what you looked like. No, you didn’t need to look like a model, but you did need regular features in the right places with minimal scarring. 

He and Dr. Puyol found a conference room to discuss the case. The way that Dr. Puyol didn’t seem to give him any speculative glances made him realized that he was one of the few people in the hospital who hadn’t head the whole sorted tale of him, Dan, and Fernando.

“Are you ready to meet Mr. Beckham?” Carles asked as they finished the briefing.

“I think so,” Nick said. He picked up the iPad Dr. Terry had loaned him. As they stepped out of the conference room, they ran into Dan who was coming up the hall.

“Ah, hello, Dr. Agger, have you met our visiting surgeon?” Carles asked with pure, cluelessness.

“Uh, yeah,” Dan said. “We go way back.”

“Ah, that’s right, you used to be at Liverpool,” Carles said. “We better be careful or Liverpool is going to think La Masia is trying to steal all of it’s surgeons!”

Dan and Nick looked at each other for a long moment and then Dan walked away without comment. Well, Nick consoled himself, at least he didn’t say ‘over my dead body’.

* * * *

Eden was stalking Dr. Lampard. He admitted this freely. But he wanted to be a heart surgeon, and Dr. Lampard was the best in the building.

However, ever since they had adopted the twins, Dr. Lampard hadn’t been taking on many difficult cases, never wanting to be home too late. He didn’t take many interns into surgery with him, preferring residents who knew what to do rather than interns who needed to be taught. And, of course, he got away with it because he was married to the chief of surgery who’d also been MIA more than usual due to the new arrivals.

Today Dr. Lampard had a triple by-pass on the board with a space empty for an intern. Eden had spent the entire night reading up on the surgery and was waiting by the patient’s door when Dr. Lampard arrived that morning.

“Dr. Hazard,” Frank greeted him, distractedly looking at his phone.

“Dr. Lampard, I was wondering if I could scrub in on this case,” Eden said in a rush as Dr. Lampard was about to walk into the patient room.

Frank halted and turned to look at him. “Are you assigned to this patient?”

“I’ve done a lot of research on triple-bypasses,” Eden said, side-stepping the question, and began to rattle off everything he knew about this case and the procedure.

“Sounds like you’ve done your homework,” Frank said. “Come on in.”

Eden beamed. Yes!

* * * *

“So,” Nick sidled up to Fernando at the salad bar in the cafeteria. “I thought you said Dan was better.”

Fernando raised an eyebrow. “I said that he and I had talked and were working on things. I didn’t say, hey, show up unannounced and expect to be his best friend again.”

Nick frowned as Fernando selected a salad plate and a packet of dressing. “I didn’t expect we’d be best friends, I just thought if he’d forgiven you…”

Fernando sighed and turned back to Nick. “Nick, he hasn’t forgiven me. We’re filing for divorce. He’s in love with Cesc and I’ve started seeing some new.”

“You have?” Nick said, startled at this news. “Who? That Ramos? Seriously Fernando?”

Turning away, Fernando smiled at the cashier who was listening in on the interesting gossip. It was a miracle any patients got treated at this hospital. They both paid for their meals and Nick followed Fernando to a table.

“You know,” Fernando said as they found an unoccupied corner, “you don’t exactly have any rights to be angry at me about anything. I didn’t make you do something.”

Nick gazed at him. It was true. Fernando hadn’t really sought to seduce him. Nick had been in love with his best friend’s husband long before the marriage had started to fall apart. When Fernando was willing, so was Nick.

Hell, when Dan had fled Liverpool, Nick had tried to talk Fernando into getting together on a more permanent basis, but Fernando had been so ridden with guilt that he’d turned him down flat.

“I never…I didn’t tell Dan about…that you…” Fernando said. “He doesn’t need to know that.”

Nick sighed. Fernando was right. He was always right. “Thank you.”

“We were both upset and looking for comfort,” Fernando said. “Besides. He ran away. He doesn’t get to have more ammunition to fire at us. If he’d stuck around, maybe we could all have gotten past it.”

“You think we can’t get past this, ever?” Nick asked. Fernando was fiddling with his salad, but Nick hadn’t even picked up his fork.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“I think Cesc is helping him,” Fernando said. “Healing his heart. Teaching him to trust again.”

“Cesc seems nice,” Nick said, though all of about ten seconds of interaction he’d had with him. “Young.”

“Very young,” Fernando said with a smile. “But Dan needs that.”

Nick nodded. “I suppose he does.”

“And to answer your question, I don’t know. He might get past it, and he might not, but there’s nothing we can do or say to force it.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesc is asked to lend a hand.

Chapter 33

“Dr. Fabregas,” Dr. Puyol said as he stepped into Really Old Guy’s room where Cesc had been studying up on a procedure he was going to do tomorrow with Dr. Ramos.

Cesc looked up with a start. He didn’t think anyone knew about Really Old Guy’s room but the interns. “Yes, sir?”

“The resident who was supposed to assist Dr. Bendtner and I on the Beckham reconstruction has had a family emergency. Would you like to scrub in this afternoon?”

“Yes,” Cesc said quickly, even before he considered the things he really was supposed to get done that afternoon. He could stay late; he was on call anyway.

“Excellent. We’re going to start in about an hour,” Dr. Puyol said. “I’ve sent you the case along with our notes. I know you won’t be fully prepped, but it’s worth seeing.” Dr. Puyol stepped out. There, Dr. Terry. I included an intern. An intern who wasn’t Dr. Messi, anyway, he thought to himself. It would be a cold day at La Masia before Dr. Messi ever saw the inside of one of his operating rooms.

Bojan wasn’t even speaking to him right now. The two of them had a totally satisfactory relationship going, and then Dr. Messi has to sweep in like god’s gift to interns and suddenly Bojan decides he wants a real relationship. No one that worked at La Masia had time for a real relationship. Find a fuck buddy and get on with your life.

* * * *

Cesc was jogging down the hall, half a sandwich in his mouth, trying to read up on rhinoplasty and nearly ran right into Dan.

“Look out,” Dan said with a smile as he caught him at the elbow. 

Cesc swallowed and then smile at him. “Sorry. Dr. Puyol wanted me to scrub in but I hadn’t had lunch and there’s a lot to building a nose!”

Dan chuckled, and then the mirth ran out of his eyes. “Are you working on the Beckham case?”

“Uh, yeah,” Cesc said as he tried to read the unhappiness on Dan’s face. And then it occurred to him. “Oh…yeah. Dr. Puyol asked and you know he never asks for interns to help on surgeries so I thought…” Cesc trailed off.

“Oh course,” Dan said too quickly. Of course it was selfish of him to want Cesc to stay a mile away from Nick. Cesc was here to get an education, not to get caught up in a badly written telenovela. “It’s a big case. You’re lucky to have been chosen.”

“Uh, no,” Cesc said with a cheeky grin he hoped Dan took the right way. “It’s because I’m good.”

Dan’s face softened and he leaned in, wiping a smudge of mustard off of the corner of Cesc’s mouth. “You are.”

Cesc stifled a giggle as he headed on down the hall. He hadn’t thought that he’d be working with Nick, but in truth, he was rather interested to meet the man properly. He’d been Dan’s best friend. He probably knew Dan better than any one else in the world even if they’d not spoken in a year. 

“Dr. Fabregas, have you looked in on Mr. Anderson?”

Cesc finished the last of his sandwich as he paused in front of Dr. Ronaldo. “Yes, sir. vitals looks stable and he says he’s feeling alright.”

Dr. Ronaldo nodded. He was distinctly friendlier to Cesc, and well, everyone these days now that his son’s health was improving drastically. And with rumors that he was possibly moving in with his boyfriend Fabio, life had definitely taking an upswing for the busy resident. “You need to update the chart.”

Cesc glanced at his iPad. “Crap. Sorry, sir.” He quickly pulled up the chart and started entering in the data.

“Patient care is the most important thing, but you grant has proved that data can be just as important,” Dr. Ronaldo said mildly.

Cesc gave him a cheeky grin. “Point taken.”

“Go ahead and get scrubbed in for the surgery. I’ll keep an eye on your post-ops for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Cesc said as he took off again.

Cristiano shook his head. The kid made him tired some days, as energetic and positive as he was. He checked his pad and wondered where his other interns were. Messi was assigned to Torres today. Dave was in the ER. Hazard had wedged himself onto Lampard’s surgery despite the fact that the heart surgeon had been hard to find these past few weeks. 

He’d had to have a word with Dr. Terry about the attending surgeons avoiding his interns. Not because they were bad, but because it took extra time to explain things to an intern. While Dr. Ronaldo appreciated this, he also knew they were charged with the education of the next generation of surgeons. 

Dr. Emboaba approached him. “Dr. Ronaldo, Mrs. Carson doesn’t believe that a child like me is cable of reading a chart correctly and would like a real doctor to come and see to her sutures?”

Cristiano repressed a smile directed at the baby-faced intern. The kid couldn’t help the fact that he looked twelve. “Let’s go see her.”

“She doesn’t want to see me,” Oscar was pouting.

“You are going to check on her and I’m going to stand by and assure her that you indeed are licensed to practice medicine.”

* * * *

Cesc entered the scrub room and found himself alone with Nick. However, the blond doctor looked up to see him before he could get a chance to duck back out.

“Hi,” Cesc said as he moved to the sink as far as possible from Nick and focused on the hand washing.

“Dr. Fabregas,” Nick said warmly. “Are you working with us today?”

“Dr. Puyol asked me to observe. I’ve only minimally read up on the procedure,” Cesc said. Warm, not too hot water. Don’t skimp on the soap. Scrub each surface for two minutes. Keep the hands above the elbows. Don’t get any water on your scrubs…

Nick watched Cesc work at his skin like his whole entire life depended on the hand washing. Common sense told him to leave well enough alone, but Nick never was one to adhere to common sense.

“So, you and Dan are dating?”

Cesc fumbled with the brush he was holding and it clattered into the sink basin. “Uh, yes, yes we are.” He scooped it up and threw it in the bin to be re-sterilized and carefully selected another one, starting the procedure all over again.

“Dan is a great guy. Probably the best person I know,” Nick said as he looked away from Cesc. “He deserves to be happy.”

Cesc scrubbed at his fingernails, forcing retorts back down his throat with the ferocity of his effort. You want Dan to be happy? Stop sleeping with his husband!

“Fernando says you make him happy,” Nick pressed on. “He says that Dan seems like a new man here. He wasn’t happy in Liverpool. Even before….” Nick trailed off as the door opened again and Dr. Puyol joined them.

“Is this a private party?” he joked.

“Everyone welcome!” Cesc chirped, relieved to have Nick shut up. Carles moved to the space in between them and started to chatter about things that Cesc’s brain did not have to process in order to respond. Yup, they totally needed to get Pepsi products in the cafeteria. Everyone loved Mountain Dew.

Cesc didn’t want to talk to Nick. In truth, Nick seemed like a pretty decent guy. Someone he could see Being friends with Dan. Best friends.

* * * * 

Sergio’s pager went off for the ER. Ugh, he wasn’t even on call this evening. He was supposed to be home, but he wanted to check in on the appendectomy he’d done that morning on a ten year old. The appendix had been near bursting, and Sergio just wanted to make sure that they’d gotten all of the infection.

He looked at his watch. He was supposed to be picking up Fernando for dinner. He had gone home earlier to have a shower after a long day of surgeries, and they were going to go out.

Who had paged him, anyway?

Instead of reaching for the phone, he went down to check it out. The doctor inside wouldn’t let him blow off a page. They must have a serious case with a child and someone must have known he was still there. 

He arrived down in the ER and, Aaron, the head ER nurse was waiting anxiously at the desk. “Dr. Ramos!”

“What is it?” Sergio asked as he looked around. “What did you need?”

“It…it’s Dr. Torres. He’s been shot.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fernando's surgery

Chapter 34

Sergio shoved his way into the drama room where Fernando lay on the table, beautiful face pale under the freckles. “Is he okay?”

Dr. Ronaldo looked up. “Sergio, you can’t be in here.”

“IS HE OKAY?” Sergio shouted at him. The logical information in his brain that told him yelling at doctors did little to improve patient care. His eyes darted across Fernando and saw blood blossoming from his right shoulder. His eyes opened.

“Sergio, don’t shout at Cristiano,” he winced at the effort.

“Oh, god.. oh god,” Sergio muttered, and the nurse who knew him well, gave him space at Fernando’s left side where he clutched at his good hand. “Oh god, what happened?”

“No idea.”

“This is Spain, not America- people don’t just get shot!” Sergio said desperately.

“We’ve got him stabilized,” Cristiano said. “We need to get him up to the OR and make sure it’s not hit anything vital.”

Sergio let out a whimper. “Cris, please. Please, you have to fix him.”

“Let the man do his job,” Fernando said with a weak smile.

Sergio was gently pried off of Fernando, a smear of blood now staining his designer jeans, but for once in his life, Sergio didn’t even notice.

“Please,” he begged Cristiano with damp eyes.

“He’s going to be fine,” Cristiano assured him.

* * * *

Word spread quickly through the halls of La Masia that one of their own was in the operating room. Dr. Ronaldo had ordered the viewing gallery to be closed, not needing all of his colleagues leaning over his shoulder as he worked to put Dr. Torres back together again.

However, a crowd was forming outside. Sergio sat on the floor with his head rested on his knees, eyes not seeing anything. When Dan arrived he crouched next to Sergio.

“How is he?” Dan asked.

Sergio turned his head to look at him. “Cris thinks he should be okay, but…”

“I know,” Dan said with a shaky breath as he slid to the floor next to him. 

The police had arrived along with a suspect who’d been brought in with the need for stitches after he’d been tackled in the street. Apparently he’d been attempting to hold up a store where Fernando had stopped, and when someone had tried to wrestle the gun from him, Fernando had gotten caught in the crossfire.

As Dan sat, leaning against the wall, obsessively checking his phone for the time, he saw Nick hovering at the end of the corridor. His face was drawn and tense, and he kept glancing down in the direction of the OR.

Sergio spotted him as well.

“He loves Fernando, too,” Sergio said.

“I know, that was the problem,” Dan said sourly.

Sergio smiled slightly. “I get that, but that’s the past. All three of you are moving on from it, and you don’t have to do it alone.”

“I have Cesc,” Dan said.

“And Cesc is wonderful,” Sergio agreed. “He’s kind and sexy and hell. But he doesn’t know you, can never know you in the way that Fernando and Nick do. They were there for pieces of your life that no matter how many times you explain them to Cesc, he will never have been there. Don’t punish yourself by punishing them.”

Dan turned to look at Nick again. He was now leaned against the wall, alone. Sergio had half a dozen people here to comfort him and Nick was alone. 

“You don’t have to forgive him. Just be his friend.”

Dan pushed himself up to his feet. He moved toward Nick who eyed him warily.

“How is he?” Nick asked.

“We haven’t had an update, but Sergio says that Cristiano is hopeful he’ll be fine.”

Nick nodded. “He’s been through so much this past year. He doesn’t need this.”

The sincerity in Nick’s voice struck at Dan’s heart. Nick did love Fernando. They both did. And this all…this anger…

Dan reached for Nick’s hand and held it tightly. “I don’t forgive you.”

“I don’t forgive myself.”

* * * *

Fernando drifted into consciousness. When he began to process his surroundings, he heard the beep of the heart monitor, and the events of the night before came flooding back to him. With a groan, he felt the pain in his shoulder.

“Nando?”

He opened his eyes to see Sergio hovering.

“Mmm?”

Sergio smiled. “Hurts?”

“Just a bit,” Fernando said as he tried to swallow, finding his throat dry. Sergio was there with a glass of water, and offered him a straw which was gratefully accepted.

His eyes scanned the room as he realized they weren’t alone. Sitting anxiously at the other side of his bed were Nick and Dan.

“Damn,” he said as Sergio took the glass away. “I must be near dead that the two of you are in a room together.”

Dan smiled. “We were worried about you, you idiot. Who gets shot going to pick up gum?”

“Me, apparently,” Fernando gave him a smile. He closed his eyes, begging for the goodwill to last past this moment.

“Fernando always was a touch of a drama queen,” Nick said, matching Dan insult for insult.

“Me?” Fernando glanced at Sergio who was smiling. “Tell Sergio about the time you cried because they discontinued your moisturizer.”

“I have no recollection of this.”

“Oh you did,” Dan said with a laugh, remembering the scene. “You’d been to five shops that day, desperate to find some last bottles of it in stock, and when you couldn’t find it, you were in tears.”

“I must have been drunk,” Nick said, but a grin betrayed him. “It was fucking good moisturizer. You never appreciated the importance of a well hydrated face.”

“Such a vain peacock,” Dan chided, using the name even he had forgotten he used to call Nick all of the time. It was no wonder that he’d specialized in plastics.

Dr. Ronaldo appeared at the door, checking the chart. “How are we feeling?”

“Like I got shot,” Fernando said, eliciting a number of chuckles around the room.

“Funny thing,” Dr. Ronaldo said as he set down the iPad and approached the bed. He glanced at Fernando’s vitals. “Can you make a fist?”

Fernando lifted his right hand and attempted to make a fist. He only got the hand about half closed before he gasped in pain.

“What is it?” Sergio asked, alarmed.

“I was afraid of this,” Dr. Ronaldo sighed as he looked Fernando in the eye. “There’s been muscle and nerve damage.”

“You said he was going to be okay,” Nick accused, and Dan laid a hand on his arm to hold him back. There was a difference between okay as in you’d live a full, healthy life, and okay, you’ll still be a world class surgeon.

“He’s going to live,” Dr. Ronaldo corrected himself. “It could be a long time until he sees the inside of an operating room again.”

Fernando tried his hand again, having no better luck. “At least not as the doctor,” he sighed.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan gets a call

Chapter 35

When Dan got a message that he needed to call Dr. Mourinho in Geneva, he assumed that he just needed an update on the patient they’d operated on. So Dan gathered up the needed charts and found quiet place to make the phone call. The patient had been back the week before, and while Dan had sent along the report, he was sure that Jose just wanted a personal update.

What Jose asked of him actually left him speechless.

“Dr. Agger?”

Dan shook himself. “Uh…yeah,” he stumbled. “Cancer?”

“Yes,” Jose said patiently. “While we can’t know for absolute certain that the tumor is malignant, my staff oncologist is fairly sure due to it’s size and location that it will be. However, I am happy to have your oncologist look at it as well. You have Dr. Torres on staff now?”

“Yes, yes we do.”

“Excellent. Dr. Agger, there’s not any one I would trust more to do this surgery.”

Dan didn’t know what to say. When you boyfriend’s dad called up and asked you to take a tumor out of his brain, how did you say no? 

“Oh, and more thing,” Jose said. “Please don’t tell Cesc.”

“Sir?”

“He…he’s an emotional young man and he has an internship he needs to focus on. Perhaps you can fly out to Geneva the end of this week. Just tell him I need you on a consult and we can leave it at that.”

“You want me to lie to him?”

“No, I just want you to leave out the information that would upset him.”

And that was different from lying, how…?

* * * *

“Oh my god I can’t do this any more,” Oscar groaned into his beer as he and Cesar sat at Guti’s. It had been nearly two months that Ludmila had been living with him and while she was now back on her feet on crutches, she was going to need another surgery to correct the last of the damage that the accident had caused. “The moment I walk in every night it’s a thousand and one questions. Like I can’t even sit down and drink a beer without facing an interrogation.”

Cesar sipped his beer, well aware that Oscar had lied to Ludmila that evening, telling her that he had patients to see to while he wasn’t even on call. Cesar wondered why Oscar couldn’t have just told her that he was going out with friends. But as he watched Oscar’s face, his earnest desire to try and make things work, his heart went out to her.

“How long did Dr. Puyol say until she’ll be self sufficient again?”

Oscar shrugged. “He said she could try to look for work, but it’d have to be something where she could sit most of the day. I mean, she’s a graphic designer, so that shouldn’t be a problem, but she says she’s not ready.”

“What does she want?” Cesar asked. She certainly doesn’t deserve you.

“I haven’t an earthly clue,” Oscar sighed as he waved to Scarlet for another beer.

“You need to talk to her,” Cesar said. “Let her know that while you care about her, and maybe even you can continue to take care of her until she’s well, you don’t want to be in this relationship any more. Not…you know…”

“Sex?” Oscar laughed mirthlessly. “We haven’t. Her leg and all.”

“Ah,” Cesar said with an ache.

“Sex isn’t everything,” Oscar dismissed as Scarlet arrived with his refill.

“It isn’t?” Scarlet said and gave him a wide eyed stare. “Damn, you must not be doing it right.”

Cesar let out a guffaw as Scarlet winked and left them alone.

Oscar sighed and finished his second beer before picking up the third. “I thought when we grew up relationships are supposed to be about more than just sex.”

Cesar shrugged. “Of course they are. But, you know. Sexual desire can tell you a lot about what’s really in your heart.”

Oscar met Cesar’s eyes, and quickly looked away. “I should probably get home before she starts getting upset.”

“You smell like beer,” Cesar said as he eyed the fresh pint in front of him.

“Yeah,” Oscar said and pulled 20 Euro out of his wallet. “See you tomorrow.”

With a sigh, Cesar picked up the bill and pulled the full glass toward him. It was an utterly hopeless situation for both of them. 

All three of them.

* * * *

Sergio might have been avoiding Fernando’s hospital room. He tried to tell himself that he was just keeping up with his patients, working with Cesc on the database, and generally being a very important pediatric surgeon, but the truth was, Fernando’s depression was starting to…well…get on his nerves.

And he knew it was bullshit. He knew that he needed to be supportive, but it was so hard some times to deal with the constant negativity. It had been two weeks since the incident, and while he’d undergone nerve repair surgeries, and the physical therapy was showing signs of improvement, Dan couldn’t guarantee that he’d ever be able to do surgery again.

Sergio knew he was a selfish ass, but their relationship had been so new and intense and he wasn’t ready for this level of commitment yet. And that made him feel even more guilty.

Cesc came into his office with a stack of files.

“What’s that?”

Cesc sighed and dropped the stack on the table Sergio had set up for him to work on the database. “It’s all of Dr. Cudinini’s files. He refused to use the iPad and now we have to transcribe all of this to put it in the database.”

“He’s a great doctor, but…” Sergio made a face.

“We need some minions,” Cesc said. “Those little yellow things that could type in all of the information for us and get it uploaded.”

“I thought that’s what interns were for?” Sergio asked with a smile.

“I’m going to start demanding payment in bananas,” Cesc said as he walked back out. He had patients to see to and a skills lab in clamps this afternoon.

Sergio looked at the stack with a sigh. That probably wasn’t all of Cudicini’s work. They really did need a…

His eyes lit up. He knew just the person.

* * * *   
“You’re going to Geneva?” Cesc asked with a confused look. “To work with my dad?”

“It’s a case he needs a second opinion on.

“He wants your help?”

Dan gave him a look. “You don’t think I have anything to offer your dad?” They were lying in bed that evening, Dan having waited as long as he could to drop the information on Cesc.

“No!” I don’t mean that!” Cesc said, turning in his arms. “I just…my father never asks anyone for help. With anything.”

Dan shrugged. “Maybe it’s a case I can shed some light on. See it from an angle he can’t.”

“True,” Cesc settled back in. “I mean, it’s great and all. He must really respect your opinion.”

“He must,” Dan said, his gut twisting. He wasn’t really lying. Not actually. And then there was that other thing. “I’m thinking about taking Fernando with me.”

“Fernando!” Cesc said as he pulled away again. “Why? He can’t do surgery! Sergio’s got him doing data entry!”

“He’s still an excellent oncologist,” Dan said. “And he needs to get out of this hospital. Feel useful again.”

Cesc gazed at him. “You’re going to Geneva to work with your ex husband and my dad who I’m barely on speaking terms with.”

“Cesc,” Dan said quietly. “This isn’t about you and me. This is about a patient. How selfish would I be if I refused to help because it would make you unhappy?”

“No, you mean how selfish would I be if I was upset about it!” Cesc snapped as he climbed out of the bed, pulling the sheet with him.

“Cesc!” Dan said. “You’re over reacting!”

“You’re not reacting enough!” Cesc shot back as he stormed out of the bed room. 

Dan leaned back in the bed with a groan. That couldn’t have gone a whole lot worse.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio helps pack

Chapter 36

Cesc wasn’t the only one uneasy about Dan and Fernando going off to Geneva for a fortnight. As Sergio watched Fernando pack a case, helping him lift things and fold them away as he still wasn’t supposed to be using his shoulder at all, he felt a pit developing in his stomach.

“I mean, obviously I can’t do any surgery right now, but I’m still a surgeon and I can help diagnose and make recommendations for the surgery.”

“Sure,” Sergio said as he watched Fernando’s face, more full of life than it had been since the shooting. Fernando had been in such a dark place, thinking his usefulness was over, but now…now he had a chance to do something big. Consult on a major case in Geneva.

And Dan had given it to him.

“Damn, do you see pair of brown dress shoes?”

Sergio got down on his hands and knees and spied a pair of shoes under the bed. Dragging them out, he presented them for inspection.

Fernando’s eyes held his for a long moment. “You don’t want me to go, do you?”

“What?” Sergio asked, looking away. Deciding for himself these must be the shoes, he went to tuck them in the already overflowing case. “Are you going to need help at the airport? You can’t carry this.”

“Dan said he got us a valet to meet us at both ends and quit changing the subject.”

Sergio sighed, staring down at the neatly packed case. “What do you want me to say?”

“You’re worried about me and Dan.”

Sergio finally turned to meet his eyes. “Worried? Worried that your ex-husband was able to give you something to make you feel better and I can’t?”

Fernando sighed and reached out to Sergio with his left hand. “Come here.”

Sergio made a little pout, but crossed over to him. Fernando pulled him in with his good arm and wrapped it around his waist, nuzzling him. 

“This isn’t about Dan. This is about me. Me feeling useful. Me getting out of this place, this hospital, this depression that’s creeping up on me,” Fernando rambled, not having words he needed. “If I could take you with me, it’d be even better.”

Sergio’s shoulders loosened as he wrapped himself around Fernando. “I feel useless.”

“You?” Fernando chuckled.

“Yes,” Sergio said. “You…I couldn’t do anything for you. I gave you those stupid charts to update, fuck, what was I even thinking…?”

“Hey, hey,” Fernando said as he kissed Sergio’s neck. “There was nothing wrong with that. You needed that done. I needed something to do.”

“It didn’t help,” Sergio sighed as he held tighter, as though if he squeezed hard enough, he could will Fernando not to notice Dan on their trip. Remember me. Love me.

“It helped,” Fernando said, pulling away just as Sergio needed him closer. “Hey. You’re supposed to be making me feel better.”

Sergio closed his eyes and took a breath. “Don’t we need to get going to the airport?”

Fernando sighed. “Yeah. Traffic…and all.”

Forcing the case closed, Sergio hefted it off the bed. “I’ll bring the car around.”

“Okay,” Fernando said as he watched Sergio leave the room.

* * * *

Cesc stared at the oven and the row of dials across the top. It was one of those high tech new fangled thingys he had literally no idea how to even turn it on.

“Leo!”

“What?” came a voice from the back.

“How do you turn on the oven?”

“How the fuck should I know?” Leo asked as he emerged, brushing lint off of his crisp dress shirt. “It’s your flat!”

“It’s my dad’s,” Cesc corrected as he experimentally turned a dial. A lighted panel started to glow, telling him it was preheating to 175 degrees. “Oh, hey.”

“Magic,” Leo said as he looked around at the disaster area that was the kitchen. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m making dinner for Dan.” Tongue stuck out the side of his mouth, Cesc was placing a roasting dish in the over with something that may have at one point been chicken on it.

“Cesc. Dan’s in Geneva. For two weeks. Isn’t it going to get cold?”

“Not this dinner. The dinner I’m going to make when he gets back. I just thought I should practice!” Cesc said cheerfully as he closed the oven door.

“Shouldn’t you let that pre-heat?” Leo asked, having spent a number of years in the refuge of his mother’s kitchen as his bullying older brothers dominated the back garden of their house.

“What for?” Cesc asked with a frown. “It’ll heat up with the chicken in there, won’t it?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“It’s all good,” Cesc assured him with a wave of his hand. “Do you know any thing about wine reductions?”

Leo made a face. “Why don’t you just take him out to dinner when he gets back?”

“We always go out. Okay, we don’t always go out. Usually we have take-away in bed,” Cesc gave Leo a look.

“Gross, seriously. I’m calling the fire department and putting them on alert.”

“Are you going out?” Cesc asked as he finally noticed what Leo was wearing.

“Yeah, I’m taking Bojan to a nice restaurant.”

“You should bring him here!” Cesc exclaimed, waving an open bottle of red wine. “You could be my guinea pigs!”

“Cesc,” Leo said patiently as he stepped out of the kitchen and out of range of Cesc’s enthusiasm. “I like Bojan. Really, really like him.”

“So?”

“I don’t want him poisoned.”

Cesc frowned. “What are you saying about my cooking?”

The front door opened and Leo was saved by the arrival of Cesar. “Cesar! Cesc is cooking! You should try some!” 

Leo sprinted for the door and was gone faster than a Chelsea counter attack.

“Why are you cooking?” Cesar asked.

“Never mind. Do you want some?”

Cesar looked at the mess. “Do you want some help?”

Cesc made a face. “I have a recipe off the internet!”

“Heaven help us,” Cesar said. “Let me get out of my scrubs and I’ll help you.”

“I don’t need help!” Cesc insisted. “Why doesn’t anyone think I can cook?”

* * * *

“I should have worn elastic waisted pants,” Fernando said with a sigh as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“What?” Dan asked as he looked up from the medical journal he was reading on his tablet.

“I have no idea how I’m going to get out of these trousers and pee.”

Dan burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the other passengers in first class. Normally, he wouldn’t have paid for the upgrade, but Jose had booked the tickets.

“Do not laugh at me!” Fernando said indignantly.

“Sorry,” Dan said, biting his lip. “Uhm, how did you get into those trousers?”

“Sergio helped me,” Fernando said. “But I didn’t think about having to get out of them.”

“Surely, with one hand,” Dan tried to imagine how he’d do it himself.

“It’s the belt. I can’t get the belt undone.” Fernando lifted his shirt to reveal a complicated looking buckle. “It’s not mine. Sergio loaned it to me and…”

Dan was starting to snicker again and Fernando elbowed him with his good arm.

“Shut. Up.”

Dan bit his lip and looked away. Oh god…

“I have to pee,” Fernando whined.

“What do you want me to do about it!?” Dan asked.

“Just…Can you help me?”

“You want me, your ex-husband, to go with you, to the airplane toilet and help you take your trousers down?”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Dan!”

“Cesc had a fit at me! Said he didn’t like the idea of me and you alone together and not an hour out of Barcelona you want me to take your pants off!”

Fernando started to giggle as well and let out a gasp. “Oh, I’m going to wet my pants!”

Dan started to giggle as well. “You deserve it.”

“Hey! I only wore the stupid belt because Sergio was feeling insecure and he wanted me to have it!”

“So it’s his fault I have to get into your pants!” 

The flight attendant came past, giving them both a look of distain.

Chastened, they settled down.

“Please?” Fernando asked. “Just the belt. I can get the trousers off?”

“Everyone on this plane is going to think were going in there to…” Dan trailed off.

“We only did that on our honeymoon,” Fernando said, recalling the ridiculous fumble in the bathroom somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. They gazed at each other for a long moment and the Fernando turned away. 

No. No. There was nothing left here, and he wasn’t going to ruin his chance at a happy future by going back to something that was in the past.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar tells a lie

Chapter 37

In the end, Cesar and Cesc made a fairly decent meal. Accompanied by a couple of bottles of wine, the dinner was proclaimed a success.

“If being surgeons doesn’t work out, we could so totally open a restaurant!” Cesc decided as he scraped some burnt vegetables into the bin.

“We so totally could!” Cesar agreed with a giggle as he tipped the last of the second bottle of wine into his glass.

“Shit, we could work for Guti,” Cesc said with a giggle. “I could make pizza and cheeseburgers.”

“You could be a bartender!” Cesar agreed as he dropped the empty bottle into the recycling with a clank.

“You’d drink all the wine.” Cesc said.

“True,” Cesar said as he took a slurp.

There was a knock at the door.

“Did you order a booty call?” Cesc asked as he knew it wasn’t Dan. Dan had texted an hour ago to say that they’d arrived safely in Geneva and were having dinner with Jose that evening. “Maybe they brought more wine.”

“Eden is in surgery tonight,” Cesar said, puzzled.

“Are you two sleeping together?” Cesc asked with a start.

“No,” Cesar let out of hiccup and went to the door. “Oscar!”

Oscar stood at the door with a six pack of beer. “Hey.”

“You brought beer!” Cesar said happily as he threw his arms around the startled surgeon. 

“Looks like you two have already had some,” Oscar laughed.

“What’s up?” Cesc asked as they’d invited him over, but he’d declined, saying he had to get home to Ludy.

Oscar sighed as he set down the beers. Cesc handed him the bottle opener. “She was bitching at me from the minute I walked in the door. Her leg aches, she was bored all day, why was I late…” he cut off to take a drink. 

“You have to break up with her, man,” Cesar said as he leaned on the counter next to him, eyeing him hungrily.

“Dave, get the plates,” Cesc ordered as he watched Cesar’s hormones made bad choices.

Cesar reluctantly pushed away and went to get the last of the plates off of the table.

“I know,” Oscar said with another sigh. “She’s talking about looking for jobs. I’m going to suggest maybe…”

“She look in Madrid?” Cesar asked as he set the plates next to where Cesc was loading the dishwasher and leaned back in.

“Yeah,” Oscar agreed. He was looking back at Cesar, wanting what he was offering. Knowing he shouldn’t. He swallowed more beer.

“Well, maybe you should talk to her before you do something rash,” Cesc was trying his heart out, but as the two men eyed each other, he sighed in defeat. “I might run down to Guti’s to…uh…”

“Yeah sure,” Cesar said, not even listening.

“You want to finish the dishes?” Cesc said even as he grabbed his keys and wallet.

“Totally, yeah,” Oscar agreed as he and Cesar gazed at each other in lustful anticipation.

Cesc slammed the door behind him and then realized he’d forgotten to put on shoes.

Just lovely.

 

* * * *

Eden dropped his surgical gloves in the trash with a smile of satisfaction. Dr. Lampard had let him suture an artery by himself as well as close the patient as Dr. Lampard had rushed home to put the twins to bed. The change in Lampard’s priorities had definite positive effect on Eden’s career.

Babies, Eden thought with a sigh. Why would you give up this career for babies? If you wanted babies, why would you choose this career?

As he made his way out of the operating room, Eden tried not to yawn. He needed to do rounds on Lampard’s patients before he could even think about dinner and a nap.

As Eden was finishing his rounds, contemplating a cheeseburger from the cafeteria, his pager went off. He let out a groan as he took off at a trot for the emergency room.

As he pushed open the door, he found Oscar’s girlfriend Ludy lying on the bed, in a cold sweat. “What is it?”

“Dr. Hazard, the ambulance brought her in. She wanted to see Dr. Emboaba but he’s not on call tonight.”

“She’s his girlfriend,” Eden told the nurse. “Call him!”

The nurse scurried out and Eden leaned over her. “Ludy?”

Feverish eyes opened. “Oh…you’re Oscar’s friend.”

“Eden,” he supplied. “Ludy, what’s wrong?”

“Oh…” she said, and looked confused. “It hurts. I told Oscar it hurt and then he had to come in to the hospital. Where is he?”

“They’re just trying to find him,” Eden lied carefully. “Can I take a look at your leg?”

“Yeah,” she said vaguely.

“Temperature is 104,” another nurse told him.

Eden pulled the velcro loose on the boot her leg was incased in and Ludy let out a hiss of pain. It had been months since the surgery. It shouldn’t be hurting.

But as he peeled back the wrappings, he saw the stitches were a bright, angry red. “Nurse, can we get Ludy on morphine and get me someone from infectious diseases.”

“What?” Ludy asked, trying to sit up, but the nurse gently pushed her back down.

“I think your sutures have gotten infected. I’m not an expert in this, so I’m going to talk to someone who is, okay?” Eden said. 

“Okay,” Ludy agreed.

“Shall we put her on some fluids as well?” the nurse suggested.

“Yes,” Eden agreed. Shit. He knew that. “Ludy, I’m going to go get Oscar, okay?”

“Okay.”

Eden left the room and found the nurse he’d sent to make a call. “He’s not answering at any of his numbers.”

“Try Dr. Azpilicueta’s home number,” Eden said with a lurch in his stomach. He’d told Cesar not to get involved. He’d told him there was nothing but trouble to be found there.

After several more calls, Eden finally just called Cesc’s cell phone.

“Yes?” Cesc asked, sounding disgruntled.

“Where’s Oscar?”

“In my flat with Cesar,” Cesc said. He’d been sitting in the corridor playing Crossy Roads for an hour now and he wanted to go back inside.

“Ludy is in the ER. Her sutures are infected and she’s almost delirious with fever.”

“Shit,” Cesc said as he struggled to his feet.

“She thinks Oscar is at the hospital,” Eden mentioned.

“Yeah, I know,” Cesc said as he fished his keys out of his pocket. “We’ll be there in 10.”

Cesc opened the door with a bang. “Oscar! Ludy is in the hospital and she needs you!” He announced at the top of his voice. He didn’t hear any…noises. Maybe they were done. Or taking a break.

“What?” Oscar asked, appearing in his boxer shorts. Oh yeah they’d been busy.

“Ludy. Eden just called. She’s been brought in with a serious infection. She’s been asking for you.”

“Shit, is she okay? Did she tell him where I was?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Cesc declared. “Put some pants on and I’ll drive you over.” 

Oscar disappeared as Cesar emerged. He gave Cesc a look.

“Judgmental much?”

“At least I didn’t know Dan was married when I slept with him!”

“They aren’t married!”

“So?”

Cesar glared at him. “Are you okay to drive?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as he pulled on his shoes. “I haven’t had anything since I left.”

“Why did he call you?” Cesar asked as he picked up his phone, seeing the missed calls.

“Eden guessed he was over here,” Cesc said. He held his tongue. This was Cesar and Oscar’s mess, and they could fucking well deal with it themselves.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar feels guilty and Dan needs to talk.

Chapter 38

In Geneva, Fernando realized his head could be turned very quickly by working in a top class facility like this. Not that La Masia was a dump, but FFS, they had fresh flowers in the bathrooms. This was like medical nirvana.

“Dr. Torres, thank you for coming. How’s the arm?”

“Recovering,” Fernando said as he shook Dr. Mourinho’s hand a little awkwardly with his left hand as his right was still in a sling. 

“Good. I’m glad Dr. Agger suggested you come along. Even if the hand is weak, you’re one of the finest oncologists there is.”

Dan was observing Jose from a distance as he chatted with Fernando. He could see the pain he was suppressing, and wondered how long he’d been ignoring it. You spent your life performing medical miracles, and never liked to admit weakness in yourself. Perhaps he and Fernando would be good for each other.

“So, shall we have a look at the scans?” Dr. Mourinho said as he guided them down the corridor where more fresh flowers sat on tables that likely cost more than all of the furniture in Fernando’s first flat.

Dan gazed around, wondering if the chairs in the labs were fixed with massaging options and heated pads.

However, as they stepped into the neurology lab, it didn’t look that much different from the one at La Masia. The equipment had an extra shine, like the housekeeping department was very well paid, but other than that, it wasn’t anything special.

Jose logged into a computer and pulled up the latest scans that had been performed on him just the day before.

Dan was not the kind of doctor who needed to chatter constantly about what was going on in front of him. Fernando stood back a few feet, knowing that Dan would let him have a closer look when he was done with his preliminary assessment.

As Dan looked at the latest scans, he saw what he’d seen from what Jose had sent before and he knew why people had told Jose the tumor was inoperable. Never mind that they would be delving into the brain of one of the greatest medical minds of their generation. You didn’t wan to take responsibility for making a mess of that.

But Jose hadn’t brought him here to be told what he’d already heard. He’d brought Dan here for another option. A more aggressive option. A surgeon who wasn’t afraid to try something even if the end result wasn’t going to be ideal.

Fernando watched Dan’s mind work. Dan had always had the ability to process thing internally which made him a great surgeon. And, as chance would have it, a horrible husband. He wondered if he was more open with Cesc. Hoped he was.

As his mind worked, he was fairly certain that what they were looking at wasn’t cancerous. While it was impossible to know before taking a biopsy, there were markers of a cancerous tumor, and this didn’t look like one to him.

Finally, Dan turned to Jose. “It can be removed.”

A smile spread on Jose’s face. “Explain it to me.”

* * * *

Oscar sat on the floor outside the isolation ward where Ludy was being kept. Not only was the wound seriously infected, it was highly contagious. After Oscar had been scrubbed from head to toe, he’d been pronounced clear and shut out of the ward.

Cesar had come by twice, but had been sent away by a guilty glare both times and was now steering clear of the ward. He sent Cesc to check on him.

“I said I didn’t want to be in the middle of this,” Cesc grumbled even as he went. When he arrived at the door, he gazed down at Oscar.

“We can get you a chair,” Cesc said.

Oscar looked up at him, his eyes haunted. “I should have listened to her. She said it hurt and I thought she was just complaining like she always does. I never listen to her.”

“It sounds to me like there’s a lot of things the two of you never talk about,” Cesc suggested mildly.

“God, I know,” Oscar dropped his head into his hands and started to cry.

Well, shit, Cesc thought as he crouched down in front of Oscar. “Come on,” he said as he took Oscar’s hand and dragged him up to his feet.

“No,” Oscar protested, “I have to stay. I can’t leave her.”

“They’ve got her doped up, she doesn’t even know if you’re here. When was the last time you ate?” Cesc dropped Oscar’s arms and he stayed standing.

“What day is it?” Oscar asked.

“Exactly,” Cesc said as he put his arm through Oscar’s. “Come on. You look pathetic enough they’re sure to give us extra chicken nuggets in the cafeteria.”

* * * *

“Wow, so it’s not cancer?”

“No,” Fernando said as he laid back in his bed in the hotel room. “I mean, it doesn’t look like it. Dan is going to remove the tumor tomorrow and they’ll biopsy it, but…”

“Who is this patient?” Sergio asked as he closed his eyes, imagining that Fernando was in bed with him, not five hundred miles away in Geneva.

“It’s Dr. Mourinho.”

“Wait, really?” Sergio asked as his eyes opened again. “Cesc didn’t say anything.”

“I guess he doesn’t want Cesc to know,” Fernando said.

“Seriously?” Sergio asked as he laid back again. “I mean, I’ve always had a pretty decent relationship with my parents, but you’d think you’d tell your kid you had a brain tumor.”

“Who knows?” Fernando said with a yawn.

“So after the surgery, will you come home?” Sergio asked hopefully.

“Depends on the biopsy results,” Fernando replied. He adjusted on the bed as his shoulder ached.

“Okay,” Sergio sighed as he played his fingers across his abdomen. 

“I know,” Fernando smiled into the phone. “I miss you too.”

“How’s Dan?” Sergio asked.

“In his own hotel room,” Fernando laughed. He felt a stab of guilt for his flirtations on the plane, but he knew it hadn’t really meant anything. Not really.

There was a knock on the door.

“Who’s that?” Sergio asked.

“Room service,” Fernando said even as he glanced over at the empty plates he’d consumed before calling. “I’m gonna let you go.”

“Okay. Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Fernando said as he ended the call. He opened the door and found Dan standing there.

“Hey,” Dan said as he kicked at the carpet.

“What’s up?”

Dan shrugged and Fernando shook his head. “Nervous about tomorrow?”

“I’m about to cut open the head of my boyfriend’s dad and he doesn’t even know about it and what if I kill him,” Dan said miserably.

“Oh Danny,” Fernando said and pulled him into a one-armed hug. “What is this? You’re always sure of yourself.”

They stepped into the room. 

“I just hate that I haven’t been able to tell Cesc. After everything…I swore I wouldn’t lie to him any more,” Dan sagged onto the edge of Fernando’s bed.

“A patient has a right to confidentiality,” Fernando reminded him. “If Dr. Mourinho doesn’t want him to know…”

“I know,” Dan said. “But it just doesn’t feel right.”

“Feel like you’re being manipulated?” Fernando asked.

“Yeah,” Dan admitted. “I mean, Cesc has told me about his dad. This is exactly like something Jose would do. But at the same time, he really does need me to do this surgery. The only other person qualified to do it is him.”

“What’s going to help you?” Fernando asked as he sat on a chair near Dan. “What do you need to feel better about tomorrow’s surgery?”

Dan looked at him. “I need to talk to Cesc.”

“So call him.”

“But I can’t tell him about the surgery!”

Fernando thought for a moment. “I don’t suppose you can appeal to Jose?”

“Right.” Dan stared at his hands. 

“You know what?” Fernando said as he stood up. “Fuck it. Fuck Jose and his stupid pride or whatever he’s doing. Call Cesc. Tell him. Tell him that Jose doesn’t want him to know. You trust him, right?”

“Completely,” Dan looked up. “But…”

“But nothing. You love Cesc. You want to be honest with him. You need to be honest with him. Not being honest fucked up our marriage and it’s too late to do anything about that any more. But it’s not too late with Cesc,” Fernando said. “You fucking call him and tell him.”

Dan smiled. “And if I get busted for it?”

“You said you trust him, right?”

“Of course.”

“So if he doesn’t tell anyone, no one else will,” Fernando said. “Now go. Get out out of here and talk to him.”

Dan stood up. “I will then.”

Fernando grinned at him. “You do that.”

Dan reached out and hugged Fernando again. “Thank you for being my friend.”

“I will always be your friend.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesar deals with the fall out.

Chapter 39

Cesc’s alarm went off and he silenced it, not even bothering to open his eyes. He hadn’t been asleep, anyway. After talking to Dan the night before, he’d found it impossible to fall asleep.

His dad could be dying. Could die today and he didn’t even want to tell Cesc. And Cesc couldn’t sort out if his dad was being incredibly selfish or actually thought by not telling Cesc he was some how saving him from something?

So why did he ask Dan? Maybe he asked Dan knowing that Dan would tell Cesc?

Cesc sat up. Maybe his dad wanted him to know?

But he couldn’t say anything because if he did and his dad didn’t then Dan could get in trouble and Dan trusted him and…

He dropped back onto his pillow with a thump.

There was a knock on his door.

“Yes?”

Cesar’s face appeared. “Do you have any clean towels?”

“Do I what?” Cesc lifted his head again and eyed his roommate.

“Towels. I only have two and they’re past the point of unhealthy,” Cesar said.

“We have a washing machine.”

“I know, I know,” Cesar said as he stepped in with a yawn, coming to kneel on the end of Cesc’s bed, and crawled up next to Cesc. “I put them in, but I smell bad now.”

“There’s some in the closet,” Cesc said as he sniffed. “You do smell a bit.”

“Shut up,” Cesar shoved him on the shoulder. “I was on shift for 36 hours.”

“You took Oscar’s on call shift?” Cesc asked.

“Yeah,” Cesar lifted his head up on his arm. “He still won’t speak to me. Like it’s my fucking fault he came over here instead of talking to his girlfriend.”

Cesc lifted an arm and pulled Cesar into a hug. “He’s hurt and he doesn’t want to blame himself or Ludy.”

“I don’t know why he even came over,” Cesar said. “He just wants me for sex and nothing else.”

“What do you want him for?” Cesc asked, for once happy to be in the middle of their drama. Better theirs than his own.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you want a boyfriend or do you just want sex?” Cesc asked as he enjoyed the warm body. He was used to having Dan in his bed and a few nights on his own were making it cold in bed.

“Are you offering?” Cesar asked with a chuckle.

“No,” Cesc laughed and shoved him away. “I have a boyfriend.”

Cesar rolled out of the bed and went to the closet to find himself a clean towel. “Isn’t his surgery today?”

“Uh, yeah,” Cesc said, his temporary good mood evaporating. 

“Is the guy going to be okay?” Cesar asked as he pulled down a plush grey towel.

“Dan is hopeful,” Cesc said as he took a breath. “You want coffee?”

“Yes please. Leo didn’t come home last night,” Cesar added over his shoulder as he disappeared out of the room.

Cesc paused for a moment to ponder than in a different household, that statement might have been a cause for concern. In this house, it was just another day in paradise.

* * * *

Cesc was pouring over a book on pediatric liver disoders when Dr. Ramos stuck his head in. “Did you talk to Dan last night?”

“Uh,” Cesc stuck a finger on a the sentence he’d been reading. “Yes, he did.”

“Fernando didn’t call,” Sergio said as he sat dejectedly next to Cesc. “Did Dan say anything about Fernando?”

Cesc frowned. “Uh…just that Fernando was the one who told Dan he needed to call me.”

“Really? About what?”

Sergio was giving him an intense look that was starting to make Cesc nervous. “Just that he wanted to talk about his surgery. He was worried about it.”

“Worried? Dan?” Sergio made a face like he didn’t believe him. “Besides, he’s got Dr. Mourinho working with him.”

Cesc glanced down at his book. He couldn’t say anything. Dan would be in trouble and Dan had trusted him. But Sergio sighed dramatically.

“I know you trust Dan and all, but shit,” Sergio ran a hand through his hair. “Fernando and I aren’t like, you know, solid yet. And now he’s off with his gorgeous ex husband who he is totally not over, you know, and then he doesn’t even call me…”

“I’m sure he’s just tired from the traveling,” Cesc said. “He’s still not completely recovered from the shooting.”

Sergio made a face. “I’m sure you’re right. I wonder if he called Nick…”

“Dr. Ramos?”

“Yes?” 

“Stop it.”

“What?” Sergio asked with wide eyes.

“Acting like a love sick teenagers. Fernando is into you. We’ve all seen this. Get some self esteem and call him if you’re so worried.”

“Oh,” Sergio said and then his face broke into a grin. “Yeah, I could.”

“Or, you can explain to me why liver failure in children causes trouble thinking.”

Sergio looked at the book. “Our liver transplant.”

“In an hour, yes,” Cesc rolled his eyes.

Sergio glanced at the book and then back at Cesc. “The liver filters out toxins in the system and when they buildup it impairs brain function.”

“Oh, yeah,” Cesc said as he likely should have figured that out for himself.

“Come on, we need to talk to the donor before we scrub in,” Sergio said, immediately back in doctor mode, love-lorn teenager disappearing.

* * * *

Leo sat behind the nurse’s station, filling out charts while Bojan checked over the surgery schedule for that afternoon. They’d taken to hanging out in the same place while they worked, some times not even talking to each other. Usually playing footie under the desk.

Dr. Puyol walked past, giving them a look, and Leo frowned.

“What is with him?”

Bojan glanced at Dr. Puyol’s retreating backside. “What?”

“He leers at you every time he sees you.”

Bojan blushed slightly. “He’s horny.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Leo’s frown increased. 

“Jealous?”

“Yes!” Leo shot back as he pushed at Bojan’s thigh with his knee.

“He’s just…he likes sex,” Bojan shrugged.

“Is he good at it?”

“You want a try?” Bojan suggested.

“No!” Leo yelped, turning bright pink. Aaron, one of the ER nurses walked past and gave them both a strange look. Leo blushed harder.

“Why not? He suggested we have a threesome.”

“What!!?” Leo hissed. “When was this?”

“A few weeks ago,” Bojan shrugged. “I mean, he might have been kidding. Probably.”

Leo gaped at him. “Do…do you like that kind of thing?”

Bojan turned and grinned at him. “Do you?”

“What? Me? No!” Leo said as he pushed away from Bojan who reached out a hand to pull him back.

“Hey,” Bojan said as he pulled Leo back into him. “I’m not either. It’s just you okay? Not Carles, not anyone else, okay?”

Leo was pink to his ears. “You think I’m some sad prude, don’t you?”

Bojan raised an eyebrow. “I have marks on my backside that would beg to differ.”

Cesc walked past. “Would you two seriously go get a room?”

* * * *

Eden found Cesar asleep on the bed on the on call room. This wasn’t especially such a strange thing, except it was two in the afternoon.

“Cez?”

There was a grunt from the bed.

Eden paused for a moment. Did Cesar have rounds to be doing? Surgeries to be studying for? Had he meant to pass out?

“Come on,” Eden said as he bent down to gently shake his shoulder. “Dr. Ronaldo will kill you if he finds you.”

Cesar came to with a start. “What?”

“You,” Eden said with a smile. “What are you doing?”

“Oh god,” Cesar said as he stretched. “I haven’t been sleeping and I just laid down for a minute. Shit.”

“It’s okay. Ronaldo is in surgery and it’s pretty quiet out there,” Eden said as he took a seat next to Cesar who struggled to get his shoes on. He waited a minute while Cesar tied his worn old trainers, wondering how to ask the question without making it seemed like he cared as much as he did about the answer.

Finally, Eden said, “Why haven’t you been sleeping?”

“Oh,” Cesar sighed as he ran a hand through his mussed hair. “Just…all this crap with Oscar.”

“He can’t really blame you, can he?”

Cesar shrugged. “Cesc says he blames himself and is taking it out on me.”

“Leo said that Ludy’s parents are taking her back home as soon as she’s well enough to travel,” Eden said.

“Yeah,” Cesar confirmed. “Oscar must be crushed.”

“Why do you care about him!” Eden exploded and the shocked look on Cesar’s face told him he’d gone too far. He moved to get up. “Look, whatever, it’s your life.”

“No, wait,” Cesar said as he laid his hand on Eden’s arm, tugging him back down to the bed. 

Eden looked at Cesar expectantly. “You deserve to be treated better than this.”

Cesar shrugged. Did he? Wasn’t it his fault that Oscar cheated? He could say no. He…

“He doesn’t care about you,” Eden said as he leaned in a little. “Not really.”

Cesar noticed Eden for the first time as he gazed at him. Eden. Lovely, beautiful, funny Eden…

“I don’t,” Cesar started to say, not even sure how he meant to finish it, but Eden didn’t let him as he closed the gap left between them and kissed him.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jose's surgery went well.

Chapter 40

Fernando looked under the microscope at the tissue sample Dan had provided him. The surgery had been a success in terms of tumor removal. They would only know the full effects on Dr. Mourinho after the world class surgeon regained consciousness, which left Dan in a bit of a state. Fernando had sent him to call Cesc as he’d taken the samples to the lab for testing.

“Dr. Torres, here is the results you wanted.”

Fernando looked up at the painfully handsome young man Dr. Mourinho had assigned him as an assistant, Dr. Francisco Alarcón- call-me-Isco, and Fernando was having trouble not staring at the beautiful intern.

“Thank you,” Fernando said as he took the paper and scanned it.

“It doesn’t look good, does it?” Isco said as he leaned over Fernando’s shoulder, smelling of something clean and manly that started to overload Fernando’s senses.

“Uh…no,” Fernando frowned as he tried to focus on the reports. Damn. The sample he’d run was confirming what he was looking at under the microscope. Cancer.

“Dr. Agger got all of it, though, didn’t he?” Isco continued to lean, either flirting shamelessly or utterly unaware of the affect he had on Fernando.

“Yes…yes, we think so. It was fairly contained which was what made me think it wasn’t cancer.”

“We’ve caught it in good time, then. Leave it to Dr. Mourinho to have an over achieving brain tumor,” Isco said as he finally backed off. He gave Fernando a smile that could melt off your underwear.

Fernando looked back at his microscope. “Have you worked here long?”

“I’m finishing my internship the end of the month. Have to decide if I was to continue on here or try to do my residency someplace else.”

“This is a great facility,” Fernando said as he turned off the microscope and finally looked at Isco.

“Which is why I did my internship here. Now I can choose where I want to go next.”

“How very calculating of you,” Fernando said with a slight smile.

Isco shrugged. “Mourinho is a genius, but he’s also a dick head. You work with his son, right? Francesc?”

“I do,” Fernando said.

“I should shut my mouth. I still need a letter of recommendation from Mourinho whatever I decide to do,” Isco gave Fernando a cheeky grin. “You won’t tell on me, will you, Dr. Torres?”

“No,” Fernando said as he shook his head, blushing under his freckles.

“I knew I could trust you,” Isco said with a wink as he got up. “You need Dr. Agger?”

“Uh, yes,” Fernando said as he buried his face in the paperwork as Isco left the room.

Sergio. He needed to talk to Sergio.

“Sese,” Fernando whined into the phone the moment he answered the phone.

“What is it?” Sergio asked with a laugh as he leaned back in his desk chair. 

“Sese, they have this sexy as hell intern here and he won’t quit flirting with me!”

“You what?”

“Isco. They’ve got this kid called Isco and he smiles and flirts and gah…”

“Poor you?” Sergio asked as he laughed even harder.

“Aren’t you jealous?” Fernando asked, his face going into a pout even as he imagined Sergio’s face as he laughed.

“Fer, you’re in Geneva with your ex-husband who’s hot and now you’ve got some sexy kid all over you as well and you ask if I’m jealous!”

“You are?” Fernando asked with a smile.

“I’m about to explode with jealousy!” Sergio said. “I miss you and you’re with all these hot guys and….”

“Come see me,” Fernando said. “When are you off? Come see me.”

“I’m off all weekend,” Sergio said in a husky voice, his humor gone now as he imagined being with Fernando. Their love life had barely gotten started before the accident and now it was like they had been afraid of each other. “Are you… I mean…”

Fernando sighed as he felt the ache in his shoulder. “Dr Puyol just said I needed to be careful with it.”

“Okay,” Sergio said. “I’m hanging up and booking a flight.”

“Please.”

“And keep your hands off the interns.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Fernando said as he hung up.

He looked at the results again and sighed. Now he had to go tell Dr. Mourinho that he had cancer.

* * * *

Eden had a smile on his face as he made his way around with Lampard the following morning. They had a triple bypass later and…

He’d kissed Cesar.

“Dr. Harzard looks like he’s in a good mood,” laughed their patient.

“Dr. Hazard is in a very good mood,” he replied and Dr. Lampard chuckled.

“Because he knows that you’re going to be just fine,” Dr. Lampard said as he patted the patient on the leg.

“You may do triple bypasses every day,” the woman smiled, “this is my first.”

“Mine too,” Eden whispered.

Dr. Lampard gave him a look. “Dr. Hazard.”

The woman grinned. “It’s okay,” she told Dr. Lampard. “Everyone has to have a first day. As long as he’s not doing it on his own.”

“Absolutely not,” Dr. Lampard assured her. “Dr. Hazard, you want to get her prepped?”

“Sure thing,” Eden said with a smile as Dr. Lampard made a note on his iPad and headed out of the room.

He nearly ran over Dr. Fabregas in the hallway who also had his head buried in his iPad.

“Oh, excuse me!” Cesc said quickly even though he was not entirely at fault.

“No worries,” Frank replied as he steadied himself.

“How are the twins?”

“Very good. They want to come and see you some time.”

“Oh!” Cesc said with a grin. “I can stop by the nursery some afternoon?”

“They would love that,” Frank said with a bright smile. It was clear that fatherhood agreed with him, and Cesc was so happy that he and Dr. Terry had worked out their differences and had both come to love the twins so much. And the fact that his father had nearly ruined the relationship…

Cesc checked his phone as he went on down the hall. Dan had texted him to say that the surgery had gone well, but the real test, as with any brain surgery, was the recovery. You could never tell if you’d managed to damage anything in the process until the patient was fully conscious again. Cesc knew it could be hours, but…

Even as he stared at it, the phone began to ring. Dan’s number appeared, and Cesc quickly clicked it on and ducked into an empty patient room.

“Dan?”

“Hey Cesc,” Dan said quietly. “You have a minute?”

“Absolutely. How is he?” Cesc couldn’t bring himself to call Jose “Dad”.

“He’s still asleep,” Dan said. “But Fernando has finished the biopsy on the tumor.”

“It’s cancer,” Cesc said, blowing out the air in his lungs.

“Yes,” Dan said. “I think we got it, but…”

“What does Fernando recommend?” Cesc said.

“He want to wait until we can get a post-op CT,” Dan said. “I just…I just wanted you to know.”

Cesc sighed. “He’s going to need…need family to look after him if he needs treatments,” he said.

“You still officially don’t know, right?” Dan said, a slight edge to his voice.

“I know. I know,” Cesc sighed. “But maybe I can give him a call in a few days. Just…I don’t know something needs taken care of at the flat?”

“Sure,” Dan said. “But first we need to know if he wakes up or not.”


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pressure is getting to Cesc

Chapter 41

“Guti’s?” Cesc stuck his head into the intern lounge and asked the question to anyone who might be present. Sitting in one corner were Eden and Cesar. No one else was around.

“Oh…” Cesar said as he looked guilty. Cesc wondered for a moment if there was ever a time the Cesar didn’t look guilty. “We were…just going to go to dinner.”

“Oh,” Cesc said as he heard the unspoken ‘alone’. “Sure, yeah. You seen Leo?”

“He and Bojan left a bit ago. Oscar’s on call.”

“Right,” Cesc said as he went to his locker. He knew that if he demanded, if he said “guys, my dad has brain cancer and he’s not woken up from his surgery yet” they’d drop everything and be there, but he wasn’t allowed to say. Had to keep his mouth shut.

But the pair before him were too wrapped up in each other to see his pain and even ask the question he’d have to lie about the answer to.

He nearly asked the pair how Oscar was doing. Ludy had been taken home by her parents, on her way to a full recovery, and out of Oscar’s life. It was what Oscar had wanted, but had been given to him in the worst possible way, like some kind of horror novel. 

But he doubted the lovers wanted to be faced with that reality.

Cesc closed his locker and hefted his bag on his shoulder. He couldn’t go home. Alone, or worse, to find Leo and Bojan there. He needed Dan.

Dan was busy.

So he’d go have a drink. 

Cesc walked the two blocks in the chilly Barcelona evening. He hadn’t realized it’d gotten this cold out, as it was usually fairly decent year-round in the seaside town. He pulled his thin jacket around him and increased his pace.

He stepped into the bar to the familiar noise of music and the smell of beer and food. He felt the muscles in his shoulders release almost immediately. He smiled. Did this mean he was becoming an alcoholic?

“Hey Cesc,” Scarlet said as she spied him walking in. “You on your own tonight?”

“I am,” Cesc said as he rolled his eyes at himself. Even the waitress knew him.

“Grab a seat at the bar, Guti will hook you up. You want me to have the kitchen start you something?”

Cesc chuckled. “Pizza?”

“Everything but peppers?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as Scarlet smiled at him and he made his way to the end of the bar where there was a pair of empty barstools. He set his bag on one and took the other.

“Cesc,” Guti slid a pint across the bar at him. “What’s up?”

Guti leaned on the bar in front of him and gazed at him like he had all the time in the world to hear what he had to say.

Cesc burst into tears.

“Whoa,” Guti said as he straightened up. “Come on,” he said as he stepped around the bar and put an arm around Cesc. He guided the fragile young man to the back room and sat him down in his office.

Cesc tried to get control of himself, he really did, but once the dam had broken, he found himself completely at a loss. It was too much. The exhaustion of the internship, the pressures, the expectations, his father, Dan, his friends….

“Oh kid,” Guti said as he watched helplessly. He wasn’t sure he knew him well enough to hug him, but after a painful minute watching the young man fall completely apart, Guti leaned forward and awkwardly wrapped his arms around him. “It’s never this bad,” he soothed.

Cesc’s grief subsided as Guti held him. Some times you just needed a hug. As Cesc got control of himself, he sheepishly pulled away.

“Sorry,” he said and realized to his horror that he’d gotten snot on the bar owner’s shirt. He hastily tried to wipe it off, but Guti brushed him aside.

“I been puked on before, kid,” Guti assured him as he got up to get them both tissues from the adjoining bathroom. As he watched Cesc wipe his eyes, he asked. “Is it anything you want to talk about?”

Cesc blew his nose and shook his head. “I…I can’t, not really.”

“I see,” Guti said and could tell he wanted to. “Anything to do with those horny friends of yours?”

Cesc let out a bark of laughter. “They’re only the half of it.”

Guti grinned. “Come on, let’s get back to your beer and you can tell me all about it.”

* * * *

Dan sat at Dr. Mourinho’s bedside. In his lap was his iPad on which he was supposed to be reviewing charts for his patients back at La Masia, but he knew they were in good hands and it was basically nothing more than policy that made him have to check in on them every day. Someone would page him if it was urgent. It wasn’t like he could do anything for them anyway from this distance. 

Or that he’d be much good to them in the distracted state he was in. He’d likely kill someone if he prescribed any treatments right now.

All of his focus was on the patient before him. Running through his head was every step of the surgery he’d just performed. Why wasn’t Dr. Mourinho waking up. Of course they’d gone in and carved out a chunk of his brain, but it had all gone well. Scans showed no bleeding. Brain was functioning. Body was in excellent shape for a man his age.

Fernando peered in. “You want to get dinner?”

Dan shook his head. “You go.”

“By myself?” Fernando asked as he moved into the room. “And waste this sparkling company on the wait staff?”

Dan managed a smile as Fernando took a seat next to him. “What about that pretty little intern, Isco?”

Fernando made a face. “Jesus, how hot is he?”

“Very,” Dan agreed. “You can go out with him. I won’t tell Sergio.”

Fernando gave him a side-eye. “You do remember why you left, me, right?”

The comment sobered them both for a moment. Too soon.

“How’s Cesc holding up?”

“Pretty well, all things considered,” Dan said. “I guess the intern drama is at maximum level right now.”

“When are the interns not having a drama. How much drama did we have with Stevie and Xabi in love and hate and love and hate every five minutes?” Fernando reminisced.

“Should we warn them it doesn’t get better once you finish school?”

“No,” Fernando decided. “They get to figure it out by themselves just like everyone else.”

“Harsh,” Dan decided and they fell into a companionable silence. Fernando checked his phone, replying to a text from Sergio and an email about a patient. He flexed his sore hand.

“How’s that feeling?”

“It hates the PT, but I’m doing what I’m told,” Fernando sighed. They were forever complaining about the patients not keeping up with the therapies they prescribed, but when they hurt like this, he couldn’t say he blamed them. 

“Good,” Dan said. “When we get back to La Masia, I want to run another MRI on that. I feel like I should be healing better.”

“It’s only been a few weeks,” Fernando excused, “but I won’t say no. I’m itching to get back to work properly.”  
“It could be scar tissue building up at the site of the wound,” came a voice from the bed.

Both doctors turned to look at Dr. Mourinho’s eyes were still closed, but he was clearly conscious.

“You could be right,” Dan said as he got to his feet. “How do you feel?”

“Like someone cut a piece out of my brain,” Dr. Mourinho made a face and coughed slightly. Dan moved to get him a drink of water. Once he’d had a sip, he opened his eyes. He gazed steadily at Dan.

“So. What made you think you had the right to tell Cesc?”


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesc and Sergio need to get out of town

Chapter 42

Dan stood like a deer in the headlights. He wondered for a moment if he could deny it, but Jose was not the kind of person you could bullshit our way out of something with.

“He’s worried about you,” Dan replied. “You’re his only living relative and even though things haven’t been great between the two of you, it would devastate him if something happened to you.”

Jose still gazed wordless at him.

“He’s desperate to come and see you,” Dan added.

Jose closed his eyes. It was no right of Dan’s to interfere in his life, but as he scanned his faculties to see how he felt, he realized that the surgery had gone very well indeed. “What were the results of the cancer screening?” Jose asked Fernando, dismissing Dan entirely.

“The tumor was cancerous,” Fernando said and gave him the full medical terminology for the cancer.

“Treatment plan?”

“Dr. Agger got it, we think. However, we’re going to give you a week to heal and then introduce some low level chemotherapy to be sure. Weekly scans to be sure it’s not coming back.”

“Excellent,” Jose said. “I’m going to rest.”

Dan looked at Fernando who raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment. The two left the recovery room and made sure they were well out of ear-shot before they spoke again.

“Fuck,” Dan muttered.

“Well, you can call and tell Cesc you weren’t successful in turning his dad into a human being.”

Dan cracked a smile. “I think the asshole in him is terminal.”

* * * * 

Sergio’s pager went off and he swore at it. He was due to leave for the airport in three hours and the last thing he needed was an emergency surgery to make him miss his flight. He had Saturday and Sunday off and he fully intend to spend at least 40 of the 48 hours in bed with Fernando.

He ran into Cesc in the elevator. “Hey,” Cesc said with a weary smile.

“Hey, you okay?” Sergio asked.

“Oh, yeah. Just tired.”

“You on call this weekend?”

“No, but with Dan out of town, I thought I might just come in and work on the database some,” Cesc said.

“Come to Geneva!” Sergio said. “I’m going, you should come too!”

“Oh,” Cesc said with a frown. “I mean…”

“Come on. You need to see Dan. Look, let me call the airport and book you on my flight. We’ll run by yours to pick up some clean underwear. Come on.”

Cesc cracked a smile at the underwear comment. He needed to get out of town. Leo and Bojan and Cesar and Eden all in his flat all the fucking time. Oscar and his sad face. Dan miles away and Cesc tired and…

“Yeah, alright,” Cesc said as he smiled more broadly.

“I’ll text Fernando and we’ll surprise Dan. Sounds like he needs a pick me up, too. Patient turned out to have cancer on top of it all,” said a clueless Sergio.

Cesc knew. Oh yeah he knew.

“What have we got?” Sergio asked as he stepped into the room. 

“Five year old, burns on her legs,” said Aaron. “Father threw boiling water on her apparently.”

Sergio swore under his breath. What kind of sick fucks hurt children on purpose. The little girl was crying, but at first glance, the burns didn’t seem too severe. It hurt and she was scared.

“Dr. Terry wants you in room three,” Aaron told Cesc. “The cop that rescued the girl got a couple broken ribs from the father as thanks.”

Cesc left Sergio to the girl and found Dr. Terry with man in full riot gear, a grimace on his face.

“We need to get you out of all of this,” Dr. Terry was saying, and glanced up at Cesc. “Dr. Fabregas, can you help me?”

“Yes,” Cesc said as he eyed the bullet proof vest. There had to be a catch here…

The cop gave him a look. “It zips.”

“Sorry!” Cesc said as he realized this and gently tugged it down. The cop winced in pain, but Cesc was able to get it free.

“What happened…Officer Matić?” Dr. Terry asked as his fingers probed the cops’s rib cage.

“Fucker shoved me down the stairs,” the cop as he hissed in pain. “We busted down the door after the neighbor said they’d heard the little girl screaming. He came flying at me and rolled me down half a flight of stairs before taking off. Thankfully, we had several boys at the door and took him out.”

“Took him out?” Cesc asked, alarmed.

“Captured him,” Matić said with a look. “This isn’t an American television show.”

Dr. Terry chuckled. “I’m feeling some rigidity in the abdomen. Cesc, can I send you up for a CT with Officer Matić?”

“Uh…yes,” Cesc said as he looked at his watch.

“Weekend plans, Dr. Fabregas?” Dr. Terry asked.

“Uhm, Dr. Ramos and I were…going to Geneva.”

“Geneva? You doctors are overpaid,” Matić said with a look.

“Visiting Dr. Agger?” Dr. Terry said as he made a note on the chart.

“Yes,” Cesc said with a grin.

“Well, let’s get the CT and if it doesn’t look like Officer Matić needs surgery, we’ll get you out of here in plenty of time.”

“Surgery?” Matić asked. “I thought I had cracked ribs.”

“You do, but I don’t like the way your abdomen feels. You may have some bleeding we want to have a look to be sure we don’t need to patch anything up,” Dr. Terry said. “Precautionary.”

Officer Matić nodded, his bravado fading slightly at the idea of surgery.

“Don’t worry,” Cesc assured him. “If they do need to go in, Dr. Terry is the best there is. He’ll take good care of you.”

“Sure,” he replied. The orderly helped Cesc get him into a wheelchair and Cesc pushed him out of the exam room.

“How’s the kid?” Matić asked as they passed her room. The screams had stopped, but Cesc heard the child whimpering.

“Dr. Ramos is taking care of her. He says they don’t look too severe. Once we get back from CT, I’ll get an update for you.”

“Thank you,” Matić said. 

* * * * *

Cesc ran to the taxi where Sergio was waiting. “We’re going to miss the plane!”

“Sorry!” Cesc said. “I have my passport. We can go straight to the airport!”

“Don’t think we won’t!” Sergio said as he directed the driver to leave. “I got Fernando waiting for me!”

“And Dan,” Cesc said. “Dr. Terry wanted me to monitor the officer who saved the girl.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

“His spleen is bleeding, but Dr. Terry is watching it. He doesn’t want to have to go in if it will heal itself.”

“He didn’t demand you stay and watch over him and miss your weekend?” Sergio asked. “You’re an intern!”

“I know. He said he’d get someone on call to be in charge of him,” Cesc said. 

“Man, when I was an intern, I don’t care if you needed to attend a funeral, if you were on a case, you were on a case!” Sergio grumbled.

“I may have made sad eyes at him,” Cesc said with a grin.

“Whatever,” Sergio said. “He’s gone soft since they adopted those twins.”

Cesc chuckled as he checked his phone. Dan had sent him a text asking if he was available to talk later, and Cesc had said he’d call when he got home in a couple of hours.

“What did Fernando tell Dan?” Cesc asked.

“Nothing,” Sergio said. “Fernando tried to get him to go out to dinner and Dan’s going back to his hotel room alone.”

“Cool.” Cesc grinned. 

Sergio grinned back. “We are so getting some this weekend.”

The taxi driver cleared his throat a little too loudly, sending Sergio and Cesc into a fit of giggles.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Officer Matić takes a turn for the worse.

Chapter 43

“Summer wanted me to be sure to give you this,” Frank said as he approached John who was leaning on the counter of the nurse’s station in the ICU. He offered John a doughnut which he took with a smile.

“Did you apologize for me for missing story time last night?” John asked and gratefully took a bite. He hadn’t realized that he’d missed dinner last night.

“She says it’s okay. Some times when your daddies are doctors they have important things,” Frank smiled as he recalled the little girl’s earnest explanation of John’s absence. As always, Georgie had agreed readily with pretty much everything his sister said.

“They do,” John sighed. 

“How is he?” Frank asked as he glanced over John’s shoulder at the patient who was attached to any manner of medical device. 

“Stable,” John sighed. The police officer who’d been brought in the night before was fighting for his life at the moment. The CT had shown the bleed in his spleen, but John had been confident that they could leave it and wait to see if it improved. But when Officer Matić had crashed suddenly last evening, they’d had to go in for emergency surgery. The blood from the spleen had been masking other injuries that John was beating himself up over not catching.

“Hey,” Frank said as he knew that questioning look all too well. “You did the best you could.”

“I should have kept Cesc to monitor him. I shouldn’t have…”

“Hey,” Frank said as he took John’s hand. “He’s a strong lad. You did what anyone would have done, and you kept him here to observe because you knew exactly this thing could happen. You did it right.”

John knew. He knew he’d followed protocol. He knew there was no real reason to beat himself up about it, but then again, what made any doctor, any professional better at what they did, was that the questioned themselves when things went wrong. Maybe you had done what you’d thought was best at the time, but maybe now you know differently, and you’d do something else the next time.

“Come on,” Frank said as he glanced at Bojan who sat behind the desk, looking like he wasn’t quite awake yet. “Nurse Bojan is going to keep an eye on him, you need to get some rest.”

“I can’t go home,” John said quickly.

“Who said anything about that,” Frank said as he pulled him away. “A couple hours in the on call room. I left the twins at the day care while I do some rounds, and then we’ll come and find you for lunch?”

John glanced at his watch and saw it was after nine in the morning already. “Okay,” he consented.

Frank led him to the on call room where the orderly had just gotten done changing the sheets. When John laid down and closed his eyes, he fell asleep almost immediately. Frank set his pager by his head, just in case and kissed his forehead.

* * * *

Dan awoke to find a very warm body cuddled to his side. He smiled to himself as he wrapped an arm around it and pulled it in close. Cesc made a noise and adjusted himself into Dan a little better.

Glancing at the clock by the bed, he realized he needed to get up soon and go check on Jose. It was rather odd only having one patient to look in on. Usually he had half a dozen at any time he needed to see on his rounds. Jose had been sleeping comfortably the night before and the scans looked good.

All in all, he supposed his work here was done. He and Fernando could probably go home with Sergio and Cesc on Sunday. But Jose was still angry with him, and Dan felt like he needed to do something to right things before they left.

What he really thought needed to happen was for Cesc to go and see Jose. Both of them needed that, but who was Dan to make the suggestion.

“Can we just stay here forever?” Cesc murmured as though he might have just been reading Dan’s mind.

“In this bed?” Dan asked as he kissed the side of Cesc’s face.

“Yes please,” Cesc said. “They have room service here, right? Just bring up some bacon and we’ll eat in bed.”

“I think after awhile they might throw us out because we can’t pay the bill any more because we don’t go to work any more,” Dan teased lightly.

“We’ll put it on Jose’s tab,” Cesc said with a sleepy yawn.

“He might notice,” Dan said as he kissed Cesc again.

Annoyingly, his phone made a noise, and he was forced to reach for it.

“Dr. Mourinho would like to see you in an hour.”

So totally Jose to have a nurse send him a missive to demand his presence. Dan sighed as he set the phone down and wrapped himself around Cesc again. 

“Work?” Cesc correctly assumed. Not that it was a hard guess. They were doctors and all. Cesc had a moment’s daydream about having a job that didn’t demand your time 24-7. Where when you went home at night, no one expected you to still be on call.

“Yeah,” Dan said. “Jose wants to see me.”

“Oh,” Cesc said. “Is he…is he still doing okay?”

“Why don’t you come in and see him.”

Cesc scrunched his face up. “He doesn’t want to see me.”

“He might,” Dan said. “And if he protests, you’re just there to see me anyway.” Dan had told Cesc that Jose had found out about him knowing. Cesc was just relieved that he didn’t have to pretend he didn’t know any more.

“If I agree to go will you get me bacon and a doughnut for breakfast?”

“We’re in Geneva and you want bacon and a doughnut for breakfast?” Dan asked with full judgment.

“No,” Cesc agreed. “I want two doughnuts.”

Dan chuckled as he started to tickle Cesc mercilessly. For a few minutes at least, they were still in their bubble of happy where no one could get in.

* * * *

Frank checked in on John still sleeping as he finished his rounds. It was nearly eleven and he’d promised the twins that he’d be there no later than that. Bojan had reported that Officer Matić was still stable. Still not awake, but stable was always better than nothing.

“DADDY!” yelled the twins as he arrived. The nursery was pretty quiet on a Saturday, but a few other kids were around playing. When you served the people in a hospital, you basically never closed. The care giver on staff waved at Frank who was enveloped in a hug.

“Daddy, we decided we want chicken nuggets for lunch,” Summer announced, but Georgie looked dubious. 

“Is that what you want, Georgie?” Frank asked, knowing that Summer could be just a touch overbearing.

“No,” Georgie admitted. “Hamburger.”

“Hamburger it is,” Frank smiled even as Summer rolled her eyes.

“He agreed to chicken nuggets,” Summer informed Frank.

“It’s a good thing the cafeteria has both,” Frank sagely nodded. At home, they had to come to an agreement about what to eat. John thought they needed to eat the steamed as bass or creamed spinach he liked to cook or order in, but Frank realized that kids needed a bit less fancy fare. He did insist on a fruit and vegetable at every meal, but it didn’t have to be steamed or layered with garlic butter.

Frank let the twins jump on John to wake him up and he did so more cheerfully than Frank ever would have imagined.

“Alight, alright,” John said with a laugh and he struggled to get up. “Let me go check in on my patient and you three go get our lunch, okay?”

“Do you want chicken nuggets or a hamburger?” Summer demanded.

“Uh…can I have the grilled chicken?” John replied.

Summer sighed. “Daddies have no idea what tastes good.”


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesc faces his father. Oscar has a decision to make.
> 
>  
> 
> A/N - I'm thinking about wrapping this up soon. Comment if there's something else you want to see happen or finished.

Chapter 44

Cesc went with Dan to the hospital, though he hadn’t decided what, if anything, he wanted to say to his father. What was there to say to the man who didn’t feel it necessary to tell his only living relative that he was having brain surgery and oh by the way, cancer.

Dan went to check on Jose and Cesc sat in the doctor’s lounge, sipping some excellent coffee that the lounge attendant had provided him with. Sheesh, this was a posh hospital.

“Dr. Fabregas?”

Cesc looked up to see a handsome young man approach him. “Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Isco,” he said with a smile as he sat down, laying his tablet on the table. “You’re Dr. Mourinho’s son, right?”

Cesc eyed him for a moment. “Yes.”

Isco smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not here on a spy mission. You father just said you were here and wants to talk to you if you have a minute.”

“He does?” Cesc asked distrustfully. Leave it to his father to send and intern to summon him rather than just, you know, maybe picking up the phone.

“You work at La Masia, Right?” Isco asked as though Cesc wasn’t sitting there in agony over the situation with his father.

“Uh, yeah,” Cesc agreed. “I’m a first year intern.”

“I’m finishing my internship up here and I’m thinking about transferring to La Masia for my residency. Dr. Mourinho speaks highly of it. He suggested that I try several hospitals during my training to get a feel for things.”

“Sure,” Cesc said. Oh good. His father took the time to mentor this pretty boy and he couldn’t do anything but criticize his own worthless son.

“What are the attending surgeons like at La Masia?” Isco pressed on. “Dr. Terry has an excellent reputation, but how are Lampard and Ramos? I’m interested in Cardio and Pediatrics.”

Cesc realized that subtle clues didn’t work with Isco. “Uh…they’re great. I work with Ramos a lot on cases and he and I are building a world wide database.”

“Oh, I head about that,” Isco looked dubious. “Isn’t that really the kind of work secretaries should do, not surgeons?”

Cesc gaped at him. “Uh…it’s a lot more than a database,” Cesc said defensively. “We spend a lot of time cross referencing the cases so that people can find the relevant information quickly and better care for patients.”

Isco looked unimpressed. “I like oncology too, but with Dr. Torres out of commission for a while, I might have to rethink La Masia. Anyway, I have to make a decision soon. I might come down in a couple of weeks to check the place out.”

Really? Cesc thought. In his experience, interns put in application and crossed their fingers. Not wandered over for a look before “deciding” where to go. “I should go see my father,” Cesc said. A phase he never thought he’d utter to get out of a conversation.

“Oh, sure, yeah. I think Dr. Agger is finishing up with him. Now there’s a world class surgeon. But I suppose if I wanted neuro, I’d stay here in Geneva.”

You aren’t good enough to work with Dan you trumped up little shit, Cesc thought as he escaped the lounge. 

* * * *

Oscar sat in his apartment, staring at a full bottle of whiskey. His life was an unmitigated disaster. Ludy had left him. Cesar and Eden were now inseparable. He was hands down the worst of the interns, having logged fewer hours in the operating room than even Cesc who was constantly distracted by his project with Dr. Ramos.

He’d gotten hauled into Dr. Terry’s office that afternoon, telling him, quite simply, that if his attendance didn’t improve, he was going to get cut from the program.

Dr. Terry hadn’t been cruel, but neither had he been kind. It was, quite frankly, unacceptable that he’d missed so many days, wounded girlfriend or not. He was an intern. This was the most critical stage of his education. He’d spend years working on his degree, but all the degrees in the world didn’t matter without the practical experiences.

And he was about to throw it all away.

He’d hit the bottom. Clawing his way out was going to be a nightmare. He had to work with people whom he’d had stupid affairs with. Who he now had to watch being in love. His reputation was in tatters. Shit, Eden had repaired a heart valve yesterday. On his own. Oscar hadn’t even gotten a good look at a dodgy appendix.

So.

Was he going to give up? Drink this bottle of whiskey. Pack his bags tomorrow and go crawling home to his parents and think of something else to do with his life? Or was he going to fight?

* * * *

Dan was standing outside Jose’s room when Cesc approached. He gave Cesc an encouraging smile. “You decide to come by?”

“I was summoned.”

Dan looked up from his work. “You were?”

“He sent an intern to get me. I suppose I could forgive him, what, with having brain surgery the other day, but you’d have thought at least he could have told you that he wanted to see me.” Cesc wasn’t really angry, he supposed. He’d spent too much of his life angry at his father. He didn’t want that in his life any more. 

He took a deep breath and stepped into the room. The monitor beeped quietly, as though even they were too posh to dare disturb the patients here.

Jose’s eyes opened. He smiled. “Cesc.”

“How are you feeling?” Cesc asked as he halted at the end of the bed.

“Good,” Jose said truthfully. “Dr. Agger did excellent work.”

Cesc nodded. What did you even ask your father in a moment like this?

“Cesc,” Jose said as he reached a hand out to Cesc and Cesc took a few steps closer. His father took his hand. “There are some things I need to tell you.”

“Okay,” Cesc said. The statement made his fear the worst. Was his father about to die? Did Dan find something new that made Jose worry?

“Please sit,” Jose invited, and Cesc pulled up a chair by the bed.

“There are many things you did not know about when you were growing up,” Jose was looking Cesc in the eye and Cesc found it difficult to hold the look. Shit, what was his dad going to tell him. Did he want to know?”

“Your mother and I were not married when you were born,” Jose began. “I was married to another woman when she became pregnant. I have a son with my first wife.”

Cesc’s brain whirled around in circles. His parents hadn’t…he… “You…you cheated on your wife with Mom?”

Jose nodded. “I married very young. The marriage was a mistake. And then I met your mother. She was the love of my life.”

Cesc held his tongue. He wanted to know that if she was the love of his life, how had he driven her to suicide? He looked away from his father.

“I know you don’t believe it, but the death of your mother was the most horrible moment of my life. I didn’t know how to function without her.”

Tears began to fill Cesc’s eyes, unbidden. He didn’t know how to feel. He wanted to believe this.

Jose was silent for a long moment, and when Cesc got the courage to look at Jose again, he saw his father was crying as well.

“I miss her,” Cesc admitted and Jose squeezed his hand. 

“I miss her every single moment of my life,” Jose said. “And you look so much like her, looking at you reminds me that I lost her.”

“I…I thought you hated me.”

“I did,” Jose admitted. “For a long time the sight of you caused me so much pain, I hated you.”

Cesc let out a sob.

“I know it’s not fair,” Jose said. “But when is the mind rational?”

“I needed you,” Cesc gasped. “I needed you and you abandoned me.”

“I know,” Jose said as he watched Cesc fall apart. “Which is why I want you to transfer to Geneva, and do your internship with me.”

Cesc’s wet eyes widened as he looked at his father. “Here?”

“Yes,” Jose said. “Dr. Torres is optimistic, but I don’t know how much longer I have. I want to leave you my medical knowledge if nothing else.”

Cesc didn’t know what to say. His father was…was offering to be his father. For once in his life he’d have a parent. But La Masia was where Dan was. Where his friend where. Where Dr. Ramos was.

“Don’t decide today,” Jose said. “You have a lot to think about.”

Cesc nodded and took a breath. Jose still looked expectant. “Is there anything else?”

“I have a son with my first wife.”


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesc has a choice to make.

Chapter 45

“Dr. Emboaba, can you scrub in on this surgery with me?” Dr. Puyol asked as he finished examining a badly broken leg which had arrived in the ER as a result of a bicycle accident.

“Absolutely,” Oscar said as he tried to suppress a grin. No matter how much you wanted to cut someone open, it never served you well to smile at the thought of it in front of them.

He’d thrown the whiskey bottle in the trash can outside his apartment and caught a taxi back to the hospital. He wasn’t even on call today, but he’d come in anyway. Because his life was shit, but being a doctor was the one thing in his life he’d always been sure of. Always know what was right for him, and he was damned if some stupid shit he’d done ruin all of that for him. He was a shit ass boyfriend. He was a pathetic friend, but goddammit, he was going to be a fucking amazing doctor.

Dr. Puyol called out orders to the people in the room as the man was wheeled toward the elevator, Oscar running alongside, feeling like himself for the first time in a long time.

* * * *

“You have another son?” Cesc asked.

“Dr. Isco Alarcón,” Jose said. “He’s just finishing his internship.”

“Isco?” Cesc asked as his drying eyes started to bug out. “Isco is your son? Does…does he know?”

“Yes,” Jose said. “I barely saw him when he was growing up. His mother didn’t want me in his life, well, other than the child maintenance checks every month.”

“Oh,” Cesc said. “And…”

“He contacted me when he started medical school. Needed money and wanted to know if I could use my connections to help him.”

Cesc had never wanted his father’s help with med school. Sure, Jose had paid the bills, but Cesc had registered using only his mother’s surname, not wanting any help for who his father was.

“And I got him the place as an intern here. I’ve been getting to know him, and he’s going to be an excellent surgeon. Much like you,” Jose said as he met Cesc’s eye again.

“You really think I’m going to be a good surgeon?” Cesc asked.

“I know you will be.” Jose’s voice was steady. “Will you consider my offer?”

Cesc nodded. He would. He knew that he’d miss Dan like crazy, but…

Maybe he’d finally have the relationship with his father he’d always wanted.

 

* * * * 

Eden and Cesar were giggling as the entered the locker room that morning. They found Oscar sitting in the corner with a bagel, reading off his iPad.

“Oh…hey,” Cesar said as he stopped short. “You’re early.”

“I came in last night,” Oscar said as he eyed Cesar cooly. You don’t have feelings for him any more. Eden even has his hand on Cesar’s hip, claiming him, making sure I know he’s not available. But I don’t want him. I want this job.

“Leo and I were on call,” Eden said. “Why….?”

“Oh, I just came in. I’ve got so much to catch up on and then Dr. Puyol needed some help with a compound fracture. We were in the OR all night, so I just decided to stay.”

“You got to scrub in with Dr. Puyol?” Cesar asked as the jealousy flared. “He never uses interns.”

“I was here,” Cesar said. “I got to screw together a guy’s bones.”

“Cool,” Eden said as the personal jealousy was replaced by professional. “Was it awesome?”

“So awesome,” Oscar said and began to tell the tale. Yes. He would survive this.

* * * *

“He wants you to move here?” Dan asked, desperate to keep his voice neutral. He’d booked them a table at Il Lago, but neither of them were paying any attention to the luscious appetizers the waiter had brought them.

“To do my internship. So I can learn from him in case…well….”

Dan looked down at the steamed mussels in front of him. What was there to say that didn't sound utterly selfish? Jose could make a full recovery. Or the cancer could return and he could have less than six months to live. And if Cesc wanted to work with him in the time he had left? “I think it would be an amazing opportunity,” Dan agreed.

Cesc’s eyes searched his face. “I…I don’t want to be away from you. I mean, if he dies and I’m here in Geneva alone…”

“I’ll be here for you,” Dan said. “Even if I’m still working at La Masia. You know you can count on me.”

Cesc smiled. “I know. But you’ve been here a week and I’ve nearly died of loneliness.”

“You have not,” Dan said as he smiled and reached across the table for Cesc’s hand which was willingly wrapped in his own.

“No,” Cesc agreed. “But in all of this, you were the one I wanted to be with. To talk to. To share with.”

“Maybe we convince Jose to come to La Masia,” Dan suggested. “He has people here he trusts to continue his work. He would be near me to keep an eye on him, and Fernando to monitor his treatments.” 

“Maybe he would. Isco thinks he might want to come to La Masia, anyway.”

“Do you think we can talk Dr. Terry into taking on a new resident?” Dan asked with a smile.

Cesc chuckled. “Have you met my…brother?”

“Only in passing. Fernando thinks he’s pretty bright.”

“Oh, I’m sure he is. But let’s just say he takes after our father…personality wise.”

“Arrogant son of a bitch?” Dan asked as Cesc finally reached for one of the mussels on the plate.

“Just a little,” Cesc said.

“Because, you’re never, ever arrogant,” Dan teased.

“What, me?” Cesc asked, slightly alarmed. “I’m…not…”

“Cesc, darling. We all are. Which is why we thinking we can cheat death by being a surgeon.”

* * * *

“Oscar has been in three surgeries today,” Cesar muttered as he and Eden packed up their bags at the end of the day.

“Jealous?” Eden asked.

“Totally. I was working all charts all day,” Cesar grumbled. “I sat in the gallery to watch an appendectomy.”

“I got to watch a gallbladder removal,” Eden said as he pulled on his trainers. 

“Fascinating,” Cesar sighed. “I don’t get how he’s suddenly in the middle of everything. He was barely functioning last week.”

Eden regarded Cesar for a moment. “Mad that he’s not still moping over losing you?”

“What? No!” Cesar said too quickly. Was he?

“Cez,” Eden said as he approached him. “I get it.” He laid his hands on Cesar’s hips and looked up into his eyes. “I get that you and him were a bit of a mess and that you aren’t over him yet…”

“Yes I am,” Cesar said. “Mostly.”

“Yeah,” Eden said with a slight smile. “And it’s okay. I get it. I get that he messed with your head.”

Cesar shrugged, but Eden didn’t let I'm pull away.

“But you don’t have to think about him any more. You don’t have to worry about being loved and valued.”

“You love me?”

“A little,” Eden said with a slight blush as Cesar leaned down to meet his lips.


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesc comes home.

Chapter 46 - The End

Fernando went to the specialist Jose had recommended, and after a consultation, had surgery to repair the nerves in his shoulder that were keeping him from being able to use his hand properly. Within a few weeks, he was back in surgery, albeit with support and never more than a couple of hours, but the thought his career was far from over made Fernando able to focus on Sergio for a change, and the two of them were nearly inseparable in their spare time.

“How does he get to have a happily ever after and I can’t seem to find a date?” Nick grumbled to Dan over lunch one afternoon.

Dan was sympathetic to his friend. “I know. You both should be miserable.”

Nick let out a snort and rolled his eyes. “You’re happier with Cesc than I’ve ever seen you so you have lost all upper ground in being mad at me.”

Dan grinned. “True.” 

Cesc had declined his father’s offer, and indeed, Jose had been persuaded to pass the running of his clinic in Geneva off to another of his surgeons, a bright and upcoming talent, Andre Villas-Boas. Jose had moved into an apartment near the hospital after refusing Cesc’s offer to vacate his place. His treatments were going as well as could be expected and his scans were still clear. Dan and Fernando were hopeful he might make a full recovery.

On cue, Cesc made his way to their table, without a dinner tray. “Help.”

“What?” Dan asked as Cesc took a seat and hunched down.

“Isco is pissing off the nurses and now Bojan wants me to talk to him about not being such an asshat to them.”

Dan chuckled. Isco’s transition to La Masia hadn’t been a smooth one so far. “You thought your dad was hard to get along with!”

“Jose’s a fucking saint compared to Isco!” Cesc complained. “He’s so freaking arrogant. Seriously. Nurses are not slaves.”

“Isco is hot,” Nick interjected.

Cesc glanced at him. “Maybe you could fuck him into behaving?”

Nick winked at Cesc. “I’m good, but I’m not that good.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Would it help to talk to Jose?”

“I am so not talking to my dad about his real son. I’m the bastard, remember.”

“Dan always hits me when I call you that,” Nick pondered and Dan glared.

“Jose was married to your mother, too,” Dan reminded him.

“Still a bastard,” Cesc sighed. “Right. Maybe I’ll just tell on him to Dr. Terry.”

“Daddy, Isco is being a brat!” Nick sing-songed.

Cesc rolled his eyes. “Why do you like him, again?”

Dan chuckled, “No idea.”

Cesc slunk out the back door of the cafeteria as Aaron and another of the ER nurses entered.

“We could have a war on our hands,” Nick said as he winked at Aaron.

Aaron flushed.

“Nurses?” Dan judged.

“You’re with an intern!” Nick defended himself. “All the good residents are taken.”

* * * *

Oscar was up to his nose in a book on kidney transplants when Cesar found him in the library.

“Do you even sleep any more?” Cesar asked lightly.

Oscar glanced up. “Every now and again. I don’t…too many memories in that flat.”

Cesar nodded as he pulled up a chair. “Have you heard from her?”

Oscar shook his head. “No. Some mutual friends told me she’s recovered from her infection and starting back to work at her old job.”

“Well, that’s good,” Cesar said. 

“Yeah,” Oscar sighed and closed the medical journal. He looked at Cesar. “How’s Eden?”

Cesar let out a long breath. “He’s really good.”

“You guys are good together. He makes you happy,” Oscar said and hoped he sounded like he meant it. Hoped he could really mean it soon.

“He does,” Cesar said. “And you’re going to find someone soon.”

“Eh,” Oscar said. “I think I’m off the market for awhile. I’m scrubbing in on a kidney transplant.”

Cesar chuckled. “Dammit, would you get laid so the rest of us can keep up with you?”

“Never,” Oscar smiled his first real, genuine smile in weeks. And it felt really good.

* * * *

“Jose, your son is a pain in the ass,” John said as he walked into the treatment room where Jose was getting his chemo.

“I thought everyone loved Cesc?” Jose asked with a slight smile.

“Of course we all love Cesc. He’s adorable and is going to make an amazing pediatric surgeon. It’s the other one.”

“I figured,” Jose said as John took a seat next to him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad,” Jose said. “Dr. Torres is pleased with my progress.”

“Good,” John said, and the doctor in him made him check out Jose’s chart.

“I will have a word with Isco,” Jose said, knowing his son wasn’t settling in well. He’d known about Cesc for a while, and coming here and seeing Cesc as a part of the family had bothered him more than the proud young man would ever let on.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a hell of a doctor,” John said as he smiled at Jose. “He’s doing solo surgeries and taught Dr. Lampard a new valve replacement technique.”

Jose chuckled. “He’s better than me.”

John raised an eyebrow. “Wow.”

Jose smiled. “Cesc has a heart of gold which will make him an excellent doctor, but Isco will win awards.”

* * * *

“The nurses hate me,” Isco said as he sat down next to Cesc in the locker room.

“You’re a jerk to them,” Cesc replied, wondering if Dr. Terry had talked with him.

Isco sighed. “They keep making moony eyes at me and it’s starting to creep me out. I’m rude so they quit staring.”

Cesc blinked at his brother. “What?”

“Look, I’m not that arrogant, but they look. I’m attractive. And when you’re trying to ask them to get you a central line for the patient and they gaze at you like they’re imagine what your babies are going to look like, it’s hard to get anything done!”

Cesc chuckled. “You are so much like Jose it’s not even funny.”

Isco rolled his eyes. “So are you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You get this look when you’re concentrating on something. Totally him.”

“Huh,” Cesc said and found the idea pleased him. 

Isco smiled. “You busy with Dan tonight or you wanna go get some dinner?”

Cesc was supposed to be seeing Dan tonight, but he realized that Dan would understand. “Ever been to Guti’s?”

“No, is it good?”

“It’s the best.”


End file.
